THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 

Ex  Libris 

Katharine  F.  Richmond 

and 
Henry  C.  Fall 


5-      AM  HER  ST. 


E.J.COLBURN,   HOLLIS,N.H. 


HISTORY 


OF  THE 


TOWN  OF  HOLLIS, 

NEW    HAMPSHIRE, 
From    its   First    Settlement   to   the    Year   1879, 

WITH   MANY   BIOGRAPHICAL     SKETCHES     OF     ITS    EARLY    SETTLERS,, 
THEIR    DESCENDANTS,    AND    OTHER    RESIDENTS, 

BY  SAMUEL  T.  WORCESTER. 


IN   MEMORIAM    MAJORUM. 

"  Only  the  actions  of  the  just 
Smell  sweet  and  blossom  in  the  dust.' 


NASHUA,   N.   H.  : 

PRESS  OF  0.   C.  MOORE,  BOOK  AND  JOB  PRINTEK, 
1879. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress  April,  1879, 

BY   SAMUEL  T.   WORCESTER, 
In  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington. 


TO 

TEE  INHABITANTS  OF  HOLLIS, 

AND 
THE    DESCENDANTS   OF   ITS    EARLV   SETTLERS 

WHEREVER   SCATTERED, 
AND   TO    ALL   WHO    HAVE   RESIDED    IN   THE    TOWN, 

THIS    HISTORY 

IS    RESPECTFULLY   INSCRIBED, 
BY    THEIR    FRIEND, 

THE   AUTHOR. 


1086187 


LIST  AND  PLACE  OF  ENGEAVINGS. 


PAGE. 

1.  Map  of  Hollis,  (facing  title  page) 

2.  Map  of  Old  Dunstable,  Holies,  Merrimack  and  Mouson        .        .  59 

3.  First  and  Second  Meeting  House 64 

4.  Portrait  of  Dea.  Daniel  Emerson 209 

5.  Portraits  of  Hon.  Ralph  E.  Tenney  and  Wife 214 

6.  The  Tenney  Homestead 215 

7.  Portraits  of  Jesse  Worcester  and  Wife .        .        .        .                 .  216 

8.  The  Worcester  Homestead 217 

9.  The  Soldiers'  Monument 229 

10.  Portrait  of  Lieut.  John  H.  Worcester        .        .  .        .        .231 

11.  Portrait  of  Lieut.  Charles  H.  Farley 233 

12.  Portrait  of  Rev.  Eli  Smith          .        . 238 

13.  Portrait  of  Rev.  Pliny  B.  Day,  D.  D 240 

14.  The  Third  Hollis  Meeting-House  as  Remodelled  in  1849  .        .        .245 

15.  The  High  School  House 281 

16.  Portrait  of  Miss  Mary  S.  Farley 282 

17.  Portrait  of  Hon.  Benjamin  M.  Farley 292 

18.  Portrait  of  Samuel  T.  Worcester 296 

19.  Portrait  of  Joseph  E.  Worcester,  LI,.  D 298 

20.  Portrait  of  Rev.  Ralph  Emerson,  D.  D .  300 

21.  Portrait  of  Rev.  Samuel  Worcester,  D.  D 302 

22.  Portrait  of  Rev.  Caleb  J.  Tenney,  D.  D 304 

23.  Portrait  of  Rev.  Noah  Worcester,  r».  D 314 

24.  Portrait  of  Hon.  Henry  G.  Little 331 

25.  Portrait  of  Luther  Prescott  Hubbard  332 


TO  THE  HEADER, 


As  this  book  will  be  found  to  contain  very  many  short  biograph- 
ical personal  sketches,  it  is  hoped  that  it  will  not  be  looked  upon 
as  a  matter  of  unpardonable  egotism  should  it  be  introduced  to  the 
charitable  reader  with  the  like  brief  sketch  of  itself.  Though  a 
native  of  Hollis,  the  home  of  an  honored  ancestry  for  a  hundred 
years  and  more,  and  my  own,  in  childhood  and  youth,  it  has  not 
been  so  for  the  last  fifty  years  and  more.  It  was  my  fortune  to  begin 
and  spend  a  busy  professional  life  of  between  thirty  and  forty  years 
in  a  distant  western  State. 

I  am  not  aware  that  while  living  in  Hollis  I  gained  more  knowl- 
edge of  its  early  history  and  people  than  would  ordinarily  fall  to 
the  lot  of  other  young  persons  in  the  like  circumstances,  and  the 
many  years  of  my  absence  from  New  England  tended^  rather  to 
lessen  than  add  to  the  little  I  had  before  acquired. 

But  some  years  after  my  return  to  New  Hampshire,  having 
occasion  when  on  a  visit  to  Hollis  to  examine  one  or  more  volumes 
of  its  early  town  records,  I  chanced  to  find  in  the  same  depository 
with  them  many  miscellaneous  papers  and  documents,  some  scattered 
and  loose,  and  the  rest  in  ill-assorted  packages — all  relating  to  the 
early  history  of  the  town  prior  to  or  during  the  war  of  the  Revolu- 
tion. A  cursory  examination  of  these  ancient  documents,  in  con- 
nection with  the  older  worn  and  mutilated  volumes  of  the  town 
records,  interested  me.  Having  at  the  time  some  leisure  at  com- 
mand, I  said  to  the  Town  Clerk  who  had  these  papers  in  charge, 
that  if  he  would  entrust  them  for  a  time  to  me,  I  would  put  them 
in  a  better  condition  for  permanent  preservation.  With  this  under- 
standing they  were  confided  to  me.  Having  procured  for  my  pur- 
pose a  large  blank  book,  intended  as  a  sort  of  supplement  to  the 
town  records,  I  had  it  labelled  "Hollis  Historical  Documents." 


6  TO    THE    READER. 

Into  this  book  I  caused  to  be  inserted  and  bound  all  those  ancient 
documents  pertaining  to  the  early  history  of  the  town.  I  also  caused 
to  be  copied  into  the  same  volume  a  large  number  of  original  docu- 
ments and  records  relating  to  its  early  history  found  in  the  offices 
of  the  Secretary  of  State  and  Adjutant  General,  both  in  Boston 
and  Concord.  There  were  also  copied  into  the  same  book  from  the 
town  records  and  methodically  arranged,  such  other  matters  as 
were  thought  pertinent  to  its  civil,  ecclesiastical  and  educational 
history. 

In  the  meantime,  as  I  had  leisure,  I  had  written  a  number  of 
articles  relating  to  the  early  settlement  and  Revolutionary  history 
of  the  town,  some  of  which  had  been  published  in  the  New  Eng- 
land Historical  and  Genealogical  Register,  and  several,  in  other 
periodicals.  All  this  however  had  been  done  without  any  purpose 
on  my  part  of  preparing  for  the  press  a  connected  history  of  the 
town,  but  yet  with  the  hope  that  the  materials  so  gathered  might  be 
preserved  and  some  time  used  in  the  compilation  of  such  history, 
by  some  one  more  competent  to  the  task  and  less  a  novice  in  this 
kind  of  literary  labor. 

These  fugitive  historical  scraps,  as  they  had  been  published  from 
time  to  time,  had  been  read  by  some  of  the  people  of  the  town, 
and  may  have  led  to  the  insertion  of  an  article  in  the  warrant  for 
the  annual  March  meeting  in  1878,  "To  see  if  the  town  would 
authorize  the  Selectmen  to  contract  with  some  person  to  prepare 
and  publish  the  early  history  of  the  town  at  its  expense."  By  invi- 
tation I  attended  that  meeting,  and  by  request  stated  what  had  been 
done  with  the  historical  documents  which  had  been  entrusted  to  me. 
I  also  expressed  my  concurrence  in  the  sentiment,  strongly  expressed 
by  others,  that  a  history  of  the  town  ought  to  be  written,  and  also 
stated  that  though  I  had  no  purpose  or  wish  myself  to  undertake  the 
task,  yet  if  some  other  person,  satisfactory  to  the  town,  would  under- 
take it,  I  would  cheerfully  and  gratuitously  place  in  his  hands  such 
materials  for  it  as  I  had  gathered,  and  also  give  such  further  aid,  if 
desired,  as  convenient  to  me.  After  some  further  discussion  of  the 
question  by  others,  the  meeting  unanimously  "  voted  to  refer  the 
article  relating  to  the  publishing  the  early  history  of  Hollis  to  the 
Selectmen,  and  that  they  be  authorized  to  borrow  money  for  the 
completion  of  the  object,  if  in  their  judgment  they  should  think  it 
advisable,  and  that  they  be  authorized  to  employ  a  committee  to 
act  with  them." 


TO    THE    READER.  7 

The  Selectmen  chosen  at  that  meeting  were  Messrs.  Timothy  E. 
Flagg,  John  A.  Coburn  and  Charles  W.  Hardy,  who  shortly  after- 
wards appointed  as  a  committee  to  act  with  them,  Messrs.  John  N. 
Worcester,  Joseph  E.  Smith,  John  Farley  and  Charles  S.  Spalding. 
In  the  meanwhile,  no  one  else  having  been  found  to  prepare  a  his- 
tory of  the  town  as  contemplated  by  the  vote  of  the  meeting,  the 
wish  was  strongly  expressed  by  the  Selectmen  and  committee,  that 
I  would  consent  to  undertake  it.  After  one  or  more  interviews 
with  them,  but  without  any  specific  proposals  upon  the  subject  on 
their  part,  or  promises  on  my  own,  I  set  myself  about  gathering 
additional  materials  for  the  work,  and  putting  in  the  shape  and 
order  in  which  they  now  appear,  such  as  I  had.  before  collected. 

It  \s  needless  for  me  here  to  speak  of  all  the  motives  that  led  me 
to  waive  my  objections  to  undertaking  the  task  and  going  on  with 
the  compilation  of  this  history,  as  I  have  now  done.  But  among 
those  motives,  I  may  be  permitted  to  say,  was  a  sincere  filial  regard, 
not  to  say  veneration,  for  the  memory  and  character  of  the  early 
settlers  of  the  town  as  shown  by  the  records  of  their  doings,  among 
whom,  and  its  inhabitants  afterwards,  wrere  three  generations  of  both 
my  paternal  and  maternal  ancestors.  I  also  participated  in  the  sen- 
timent felt  and  expressed  by  many  others  that  it  was  but  doing  tardy 
justice  to  their  memories,  that  their  history  should  now  be  written, 
accompanied  by  the  fear,  also  often  expressed  by  those  interested, 
that  otherwise  it  might  not  be  soon,  if  ever,  done. 

In  my  view  it  would  also  be  needless,  as  well  as  tedious,  here  to 
enumerate  the  many  books  and  public  documents  which  have  been 
consulted  in  the  collecting  of  the  facts  presented  in  this  history. 
The  references  to  them,  at  least  for  the  most  part,  will  si.ffciently 
appear  to  the  patient  reader  in  their  proper  connection.  Suffice  it 
to  say  that  it  has  been  my  aim  to  gather  these  facts  from  all  such 
pertinent  original  documents  as  were  at  my  command,  and  from  all 
other  sources  that  seemed  to  me  authentic  and  trustworthy,  whether 
books,  letters  of  correspondents  or  well-established  tradition. 

It  has  been  said  by  a  late  author,  "  that  one  must  write  a  book  to 
know  how  courteous  the  world  can  be."  It  has  been  my  fortune  in 
the  compilation  of  this  history  very  fully  and  most  cordially  to 
appreciate  that  sentiment,  and  I  take  unfeigned  pleasure  in  expres- 
sing my  grateful  acknowledgements  to  the  very  many  correspon. 
dents  who  have  aided  me,  and  also  to  the  librarians  of  the  libraries 
I  have  had  occasion  to  visit,  and  to  the  custodians  of  the  public 


a  TO    THE    READER. 

records  at  Boston  and  Concord  for  their  uniform  courtesy  and  kindly 
sympathy  with  my  work.  My  thanks  are  also  due  to  the  Select- 
men of  Hollis,  and  to  the  Publication  Committee,  for  the  active  in- 
terest they  have  manifested  in  the  undertaking,  and  likewise  to  the 
people  of  the  town  for  their  unanimity  and  good  wishes  in  respect 
to  it.  I  further  take  leave  to  express  my  obligations  to  my  brother 
John  N.  Worcester,  for  the  many  matters  furnished  by  him  pertain- 
ing to  the  local  history  of  the  town,  and  also  in  respect  to  the  per- 
sonal history  of  many  of  its  citizens,  in  regard  to  whom  my  own 
information  and  memory  were  at  fault.  The  readers  of  this  his- 
tory, as  well  as  myself  personally,  are  also  indebted  to  the  town 
for  the  engravings  it  has  furnished,  and  to  the  individuals  who 
have  gratuitiously  provided  the  portraits  with  which  the  book  is 
embellished. 

For  the  last  four  years,  the  gathering  of  the  materials  for  this 
work,  and  its  compilation,  have  busily,  and  for  the  most  part  pleas- 
antly, employed  very  many  of  my  leisure  hours.  Conscious  as  any 
one  need  be  of  its  incompleteness  and  shortcomings,  yet  hoping-  to 
some  extent  it  may  meet  the  reasonable  expectations  of  the  present 
inhabitants  of  Hollis  and  the  widely  scattered  descendants  of  the 
early  settlers  of  the  town,  the  work  is  respectfully  dedicated  to  them 
in  the  hope  that  the  lessons  of  virtue,  piety  and  patriotism  taught  in 
the  lives,  doings  and  example  of  their  worthy  ancestors  will  not 
soon  fade  from  the  memory  of  their  posterity. 

S.   T.   W. 

NASHUA,  N.  H.,  April,  1879. 


CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  I. 

OLD    DUNSTABLE. 

1673  to  1739.  Charters  of  the  Plymouth  and  Massachusetts  Companies ; 
Grants  of  New  Hampshire  to  Capt.  John  Mason ;  Charter  of  Old  Dun- 
stable  ;  Grantees  and  Proprietors ;  Origin  of  the  Name ;  Compact  of  the 
Grantees  and  Settlers ;  House  Lots  laid  out ;  King  Philip's  War ;  First 
Meeting  House  and  Minister;  First  Birth,  Marriage  and  Death;  King 
William's  War ;  Queen  Anne's  War ;  Capt.  Lovewell's  Fight ;  The  Return 
of  Peace  and  its  Effects;  Population;  First  Dismemberments  of  Old 
Dunstable 17—30. 

CHAPTER  II. 

WEST    DUNSTABLE. 

1730  to  1739.  Names  of  the  First  Settlers  of  West  Dunstable,  and  where 
they  Settled ;  Towns  from  which  they  came ;  First  Petition  for  a  Town 
Charter ;  Names  of  the  Petitioners ;  Second  Petition  for  a  Town  Charter ; 
Names  of  the  Signers  ;  Remonstrance  against  the  Second  Petition ;  West 
Dunstable  Chartered  as  a  Parish 31 — 39. 

CHAPTER  III. 

THE    PARISH   OF   WEST    DUNSTABLE. 

1739  to  1746.  Its  Area  and  Boundaries ;  The  Tax  of  Non-residents ;  The 
First  Parish  Meeting  and  First  Parish  Officers ;  The  First  Meeting- 
House  and  its  Location ;  The  First  Parish  Tax ;  The  Non-Resident  Tax 
and  Disposal  of  It ;  The  District  of  Dunstable ;  Settlement  of  the  new 
Province  Line ;  Effects  of  the  Decision ;  Preaching,  and  the  Manner 
of  Providing  It ;  The  Call  to  Rev.  Mr.  Emerson,  the  First  Minister ; 
The  Settlement  of  Mr.  Emerson,  his  Salary  and  how  paid ;  Old  Tenor 
Currency 40 — 56. 


IO  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

HOLLIS. 

1746  to  1750.  The  Charter  of  Hollis;  Charter  of  the  new  Towns  of  Dun- 
stable,  Merrimack  and  Monson ;  Original  Boundaries  of  those  Towns ; 
Name  of  Hollis  and  its  Origin ;  The  First  Town  Meeting  and  First  Town 
Officers ;  The  Second  Meeting-House ;  Petition  for  a  Land  Tax ;  Stocks 
and  Whipping  Post ;  Pews  and  Pew  Ground  and  to  whom  sold ;  Care  of 
the  Meeting-House;  Singing 57 — 73. 

CHAPTER  V. 

BORDER  TROUBLES  WITH  DUNSTABLE. 

1746  to  1773.  The  One  Pine  Hill  Controversy;  First  Petition  for  the  Annex- 
ation of  One  Pine  Hill  to  Hollis ;  Second  Petition  for  the  Annexation  of 
One  Pine  Hill ;  Contest  in  the  General  Court ;  One  Pine  Hill  Finally  An- 
nexed to  Hollis ;  Second  Border  Controversy  with  Dunstable ;  The 
Nashua  River  Bridge,  and  Dispute  in  respect  to  the  Building  and  Sup- 
port of  it ;  Compromise  and  Final  Settlement  .  .  .  74 — 84. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


HISTORY    OF    MONSON. 

1746  to  1770.  First  Town  Election  in  Mouson,  and  First  Town  Officers j 
Town  Officers  from  1746  to  1770;  Petition  to  the  General  Court  for 
Scouts  and  Guards ;  Petition  to  be  Relieved  from  Taxation ;  Unsuccess- 
ful Efforts  to  Maintain  a  School,  to  Support  Preaching,  Build  a  Meeting- 
House  or  Find  a  Meeting-House  place ;  Repeal  of  the  Charter  and  Division 
of  the  Town;  The  Mile  Slip,  Charters  of  Raby,  Wilton.  Mason,  Duxbury 
and  Milford  85—93 


CHAPTER  VII. 


MILITARY    HISTORY. 

1746  to  1763.  The  Provincial  Militia  Law;  First  Militia  Company  in  Hollis 
and  its  Officers ;  French  and  Indian  War  of  1744 ;  Petitions  for  Garrisons 
and  Scouts;  The  French  and  Indian  War  of  1754;  Hollis  Officers  and 
Soldiers  in  the  War  of  1754  .  94—101- 


CONTENTS.  1 1 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

COLONIAL    SCHOOL    LAW    AND    SCHOOLS. 

1746  to  1775.  Schools  in  Hollis  before  the  Revolution ;  School  Taxes ;  School 
Squadrons  or  Districts ;  The  First  School-Houses ;  The  Hollis  Grammar 
School ;  Teachers  of  the  Grammar  School ;  Names  of  Hollis  Graduates 
of  College,  and  of  Ministers  and  Physicians  not  Graduates  born  before 
1775;  Letter  of  Gov.  John  Wentworth  to  Rev.  Mr.  Emerson  102—108. 

CHAPTER  IX. 

EARLY    COLONIAL    LAWS. 

1746  to  1775.  Town  officers  and  their  duties;  Moderators  of  the  Town 
Meetings ;  Selectmen  ;  Constables ;  Field-Drivers ;  Tithing-Men  ;  Hog- 
Reeves  ;  Deer-Reeves ;  Wolves  and  Rattlesnakes  ;  Voters  and  their  Qual- 
ifications ;  Houses  of  Correction ;  The  Stocks  and  Whipping-Post ; 
Profane  Cursing  and  Swearing;  Defamation;  Insolence  to  Women; 
Petit  Larceny ;  The  Poor  and  their  Support ;  Warning  out  of  Town ; 
Slavery  in  New  Hampshire  before  the  Revolution ;  Mode  of  Selling 
Negro  Slaves 109—117 

CHAPTER  X. 

THE    NEW    HAMPSHIRE    GENERAL    COURT. 

1741  to  1775.  Members  of  the  New  Hampshire  General  Court  from  Hollis 
and  Dunstable  before  1775.  Justices  of  the  Peace;  Division  of  New 
Hampshire  into  Counties ;  Organization  of  Hillsborough  County ;  County 
Officers  from  Hollis ;  The  Pine  Tree  Law,  its  Unpopularity,  and  Trouble 
in  Enforcing  It ;  Riot  at  Weare  and  Trial  of  the  Rioters ;  Gov.  John 
Wentworth;  His  Personal  Popularity:  Address  to,  from  the  people  of 
Hollis;  The  First  Trial  for  Murder  in  Hillsborough  County;  Plea  of  tie 
Benefit  of  Clergy ;  Population  of  Hollis  and  other  old  Dunstable  Towns 
in  1775;  The  Charter  and  Settlement  of  Plymouth  by  Emigrants  from 
Hollis 118—127. 

CHAPTER  XL 

BIOGRAPHICAL. 

1730  to  1754.  Brief  Biographical  Sketches  of  a  portion  of  the  Early  Settlers 
of  Hollis  from  the  year  1730  to  the  French  and  Indian  War  of  1754 ;  Full 
Lists  of  the  names  of  the  Tax  Payers  on  the  Hollis  Tax  Lists.  Jan.  1, 
1775,  with  the  Last  Tax  Assessed  by  the  Authority  of  the  Kiug  128—138. 


42  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XII. 

THE    BEGINNING    OF   THE    REVOLUTION. 

1774  and  1775.  Hollis  Town  Meetings ;  Patriotic  Resolutions ;  Hollis  Militia 
Companies ;  The  Alarm  List ;  Capt.  Wright's  Company ;  Capt.  Worces- 
ter's Company ;  First,  Second  and  Third  County  Congresses  at  Amherst ; 
Delegates  to ;  Hollis  Company  of  Minute  Men  to  Lexington  and  Cam-  . 
bridge,  April  19,  1775;  Officers  and  Roll  of  this  Company;  Wages  Paid 
by  the  Town 139 — US- 

CHAPTER   XIII. 

WAR    OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 

1775.  Hollis  Company  at  the  Battle  of  Bunker  Hill ;  Company  Roll,  Descrip- 
tive List ;  Hollis  Men  in  Other  Companies ;  Commission  of  Capt.  Dow ; 
The  Battle  of  Bunker  Hill ;  The  March  from  Cambridge  under  Col.  Pres- 
cott ;  Other  Hollis  and  New  Hampshire  Soldiers  in  Col.  Prescott's  Regi- 
ment ;  Names  of  the  Hollis  Men  Killed  and  Wounded  at  Bunker  Hill ; 
Loss  of  Equipments  of  the  Hollis  Men  in  the  Battle ;  The  New  Hamp- 
shire Reinforcements  in  December,  1775 ;  Desertion  of  the  Connecticut 
Troops ;  Letter  of  Gen.  Sullivan  to  the  New  Hampshire  Committee  of 
-Safety ;  Capt.  Worcester's  Company  to  Cambridge  in  December ;  Num- 
ber of  Hollis   Soldiers  the  First  Year  of  the  War,  and  their  Wages ; 
Amount  Paid  by  the  Town ;  The  Military  Coat  Voted  as  a  Bounty ;  Story 
of  a  Patriotic  Hollis  Woman 149—162. 

CHAPTER   XIV. 

WAR  OF  THE  REVOLUTION  CONTINUED. 

1776.  Names  of  the  Hollis  Soldiers  the  Second  Year  of  the  War ;  Volun- 
teers in  the  Continental  Army ;  In  Col.  Wingate's  Regiment  to  Ticonder- 
oga;  In  Col.  Long's  Regiment;  In  Col.  Baldwin's  Regiment  to  White 
Plains;  In  Col.  Oilman's  Regiment;  Names  in  the  Return  of  Capt.  Goss; 
The  Hollis  Tories 163—168. 

CHAPTER  XV. 

THE    THIRrJ  YEAR   OF   THE   WAR. 

1777.  Committee  of  Safety  for  1777 ;  The  Town's  Quota  for  the  Continental 
Army;  Names  of  the  Thirty  Continental   Soldiers  for  1777;  Patriotic 
Pledges  of  Forty-eight  Hollis  Minute  Men;  The  Ticonderoga  Alarm: 
Company  of  Capt.  Emerson ;  Its  Marches  to  Walpole  and  Cavendish,  Vt. ; 
Company  of  Capt.  Goss ;  Hollis  Soldiers  at  the  Battle  of  Beuuington ; 
Wages  of  the  Men,  and  Amount  Paid  by  the  Town  in  1777 ;  Depreciation 
of  the  Continental  Paper  Money,  and  Law  to  Fix  Prices    .        169—177. 


CONTENTS.  13, 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE    FOURTH    AND    FIFTH    YEARS    OF   THE   WAR. 

1778  and  1779.  Doings  of  the  Town  Meetings  and  History  of  the  War  con- 
tinued; Committees  of  Safety  in  1778  and  1779;  Continental  Soldiers 
for  1778  and  1779,  Names  of  the  men  engaged,  and  Wages  and  Bounties 
paid  them ;  Volunteers  to  Rhode  Island  in  1778 ;  Capt.  Emerson's 
Mounted  Company ;  Wages ;  Soldiers'  Families ;  Leonard  Whiting's 
War  Tax;  Volunteers  for  Rhode  Island  and  Portsmouth  in  1779;  Capt. 
Emerson's  Commission ;  Convention  to  fix  Prices ;  Continued  Deprecia- 
tion of  Paper  Money;  Small  Pox  in  Hollis  ....  178—187. 

•CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE    SIXTH    AND    SEVENTH    YEARS    OF    THE   WAR. 

1780  and  1781.  Votes  and  Resolutions  of  the  Town  Meetings ;  Hollis  Con- 
tinental Quotas  in  1780  and  1781;  their  Wages  and  how  paid;  Militia 
for  West  Point  and  the  Northern  Frontier  in  1780;  Names  of  the  men 
ana  their  Wages ;  Beef  for  the  Army  in  1780  and  1781,  and  how  obtained ; 
The  town  divided  into  Classes;  Reduction  of  the  New  Hampshire 
Troops  and  of  the  Hollis  Quota;  Rum  for  the  Army  in  1781 ;  New  Call 
for  Soldiers 188—193. 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE    LAST    YEARS    OF    THE    WAR. 

1782  and  1783.  New  Plan  of  Government;  The  New  Hampshire  Rangers  in 
1782 ;  Last  Soldier  of  the  Hollis  Quota ;  Number  and  Names  of  the  Hollis 
Soldiers ;  Sentiments  of  the  People  in  respect  to  the  Return  of  the 
Tories ;  The  last  War  Tax ;  Hollis  Revolutionary  Records  and  Docu- 
ments ;  Lists  of  the  Committees  of  Safety ;  Names  of  Commissioned 
Officers,  and  of  Hollis  Soldiers  lost  in  the  War  .  .  .  194—202. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


LIST    OF    THE    HOLLIS    SOLDIERS. 

Alphabetical  List  of  the  names  of  the  Hollis  Soldiers  in  the  War  of  the 
Revolution,  showing  in  what  Years  they  enlisted,  and  when,  and  how 
long  they  were  in  the  Service  ......  203 — 206. 


14  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER   XX. 

BIOGRAPHICAL. 

Brief  Biographical  Sketches  of  a  Portion  of  the  Hollis  Revolutionary  Officers 
and  Soldiers 207 — 217. 

CHAPTER  XXL 

WAR    OF    l8l2,    AND    WAR    OF   THE    REBELLION. 

1812  to  1815.  Hollis  Soldiers  in  the  War  of  1812,  in  the  Regular  Army  and 
also  for  the  Defence  of  Portsmouth. 

1861  to  18G5.  Soldiers  Furnished  from  the  Town  in  the  Several  Years  of  the 
War  for  the  Suppression  of  the  Rebellion ;  Regiments  in  which  they  En- 
listed, with  the  Date  of  Enlistment  and  Time  of  Service  and  Discharge ; 
Casualties;  Soldiers' Aid  Society;  Soldiers'  Monument;  Capt.  Nathan 
M.  Ames;  Lt.  John  H.  Worcester;  Lt.  Charles  H.  Farley  .  218—234. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY. 

1743  to  1879.  The  Congregational  Church  and  Society;  First  Members  of 
the  Church ;  Members  of  the  Church  before  the  Revolution ;  Ministers  of 
the  Society;  Rev.  Mr.  Emerson;  Rev.  Mr.  Smith;  Rev.  Mr.  Perry;  Rev^ 
Mr.  Aiken;  Rev.  Mr.  Gordon;  Rev.  Dr.  Day;  Rev.  Mr.  Kelsey ;  Rev.  Mr. 
Scott;  Deacons  of  the  Church,  with  the  Date  of  their  Appointment  and 
Decease;  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  of  One  Hundred  Years 
Ago ;  Articles  of  Association ;  Membership ;  The  Third  Hollis  Meeting- 
House;  How  and  When  Built,  and  Description  of  It;  Hollis  Philan. 
thropic  Society ;  Hollis  Benevolent  Association ;  Ladies'  Reading  and 
Charitable  Society ;  Hollis  Baptist  Society ;  Its  Ministers,  Deacons  and 
Meeting-House 235—253. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

MUNICIPAL    HISTORY. 

1739  to  1878.  Parish  Officers  of  West  Dunstable,  1739  to  1746;  Officers  of 
the  District  of  Dunstable  1742  to  1745;  Full  Lists  of  Town  Officers  in 
1746  and  1748 ;  Moderators  of  the  Annual  Town  Meetings ;  Town  Clerks, 
Treasurers  and  Selectmen  from  1746  to  1878  .  .  .  254—258. 


CONTENTS.  15 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 


POLITICAL    HISTORY. 

1739  to  1879.  Delegates  and  Representatives  to  the  General  Court,  Conven- 
tions, etc.,  from  1739  to  1879;  Votes  for  State  President  from  1784  to 
1792;  Votes  for  Governor  from  1792  to  1878  259—263. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


STATISTICAL    HISTORY. 

Area ;  Soil ;  Productions ;  Rivers,  Ponds  and  Brooks ;  Forest  Trees,  Lumber 
and  Coopering;  Population;  Births  and  Deaths;  Post  Office  and  Post 
Masters ;  Tavern  Keepers  from  1792  to  1821 ;  Justices  of  the  Peace ; 
Burial  Grounds ;  Public  Roads ;  Hollis  Insurance  Company.  264 — 272. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 


EDUCATIONAL    HISTORY. 

1775  to  1879.  The  Public  Schools;  School  Laws  and  School  Taxes;  School 
Districts;  "Hollis  Sixty  Years  Ago;"  State's  Literary  Fund;  School 
Committees ;  School  Statistics  in  1873 ;  The  High  School ;  Miss  Mary  S. 
Farley ;  The  Social  Library ;  Hollis  Lyceum  and  Public  Lectures ;  Grad- 
uates of  College  from  1754  to  1878 273—285. 


CHAPTER   XXVII. 


BIOGRAPHY. 

Biographical  Sketches  of  Graduates  of  Harvard  and  Yale  Colleges  from  1754 
to  1870  286—301. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 


BIOGRAPHY. 

Biographical  Sketches  of  Graduates  of  Dartmouth,  Middlebury,  Brown, 
Amherst,  Union,  Maryville  and  Greenville  Colleges  from  1795  to 
1877  302—313. 


l6  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

BIOGRAPHY. 

Biographical  Sketches  of  Ministers,  Physicians  aud  Lawyers  not  Graduate* 
of  College 314—323, 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

BIOGRAPHY. 

Physicians  who  have  Settled  in  and  Practised  their  Profession  in  Hollis,  and 
Miscellaneous  Biographical  Sketches,  viz.,  of  Nathan  Thayer,  James 
Blood,  James  Parker,  Jun.,  Henry  G.  Little,  Luther  P.  Hubbard,  Joseph 
Wheat,  Dr.  John  Jones  and  Stephen  Y.  French  .  .  .  324 — 340. 

CHAPTER   XXXI. 

LONGEVITY. 

Names  of  Such  Persons  as  have  Deceased  since  the  War  of  the  Revolution  at 
the  Age  of  Eighty  Years  or  More,  whose  Ages  with  the  Date  of  their 
Decease  have  been  ascertained 341 — 342. 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 

MARRIAGES. 

1 743  to  1877.  Marriages  to  be  found  Recorded  in  the  Records  of  the  District 
of  Dunstable — In  the  First  Three  Volumes  of  the  Original  Hollis 
Records,  and  also  in  the  other  Hollis  Records  of  Marriages  from  1743  to- 
1877 343—361. 

CHAPTER   XXXIII. 

FAMILY   REGISTERS. 

1739  to  1800.  Family  Registers  of  Births  in  Hollis  from  1739  to  1800,  copied 
mainly  from  the  First  Three  Volumes  of  the  Hollis  Records,  also  pre- 
senting, when  ascertained,  the  Date  of  the  Marriage  of  the  Parents,  the- 
time  of  the  Death  of  the  Father,  and  the  Full  Maiden  or  Family  Name  of 
the  Mother  362. 


HISTOEY  OF  HOLLIS. 


CHAPTER    I. 

CHARTERS  OF  THE  PLYMOUTH  AND  MASSACHUSETTS  COMPANIES. 
GRANTS  OF  NEW  HAMPSHIRE  TO  CAPT.  JOHN  MASON. —  CHAR- 
TER OF  DUNSTABLE,  AND  HISTORY  OF  THAT  TOWN  FROM  1673 
TO  1739. 

When  North  America  was  first  discovered  by  European  navigators, 
the  fact  of  discovery,  coupled  with  some  act  of  possession,  was  re- 
garded by  the  common  consent  of  European  governments  as  giving 
a  sufficient  legal  title  to  the  sovereign  or  government  in  whose  ser- 
vice the  navigator  was  employed  to  all  lands  so  discovered.  By  vir- 
tue of  such  discovery,  prior  to  the  settlement  of  any  part  of  New 
England,  the  largest  part  of  the  continent  of  North  America  had 
become,  as  was  claimed,  the  property  of  the  sovereigns  of  Great 
Britain,  and  rightfully  subject  to  their  disposal,  with  little  or  no  re- 
gard to  the  possession  and  interests  of  the  native  inhabitants. 

In  the  exercise  of  this  supposed  right,  King  James  [.  in  the  year 
1620,  by  his  letters  patent  granted  to  the  Council  of  Plymouth,  a 
company  instituted  "  for  the  planting,  ordering  and  governing  New 
England, "  "  all  that  part  of  North  America  lying  between  the  4oth 
and  48th  degrees  of  north  latitude,  and  of  the  same  breadth  through- 
out the  main  land  from  sea  to  sea." 

In  the  following  year,  (1621,)  the  Plymouth  company  granted  to 
Capt.  John  Mason,  a  merchant  of  London,  and  a  member  of  this 
company,  "  all  the  land  from  the  river  Naumkeag  round  Cape  Ann 
to  the  river  Merrimack ;  and  up  each  of  those  rivers  to  the  farthest 
head  of  them  ;  then  to  cross  over  from  the  head  of  the  one  to  the 
head  of  the  other."* 

*Holmes'  Annals,  Vol.  I,  pp.  164,  165. 
(2) 


l8  PROVINCIAL    CHARTERS.  [l62O  to   1629 

In  1629  Capt.  Mason  procured  a  new  patent  from  the  Plymouth 
company.  By  this  second  patent  that  company  conveyed  to  Mason 
"  all  the  land  from  the  middle  of  Merrimack  river,  near  its  mouth  ; 
thence  northward  along  the  coast  to  the  Piscataqua,  thence  up  that 
river  to  its  farthest  head  ;  thence  northwestward  sixty  miles  from  the 
first  entrance  of  that  river  ;  also  up  the  Merrimack  to  its  farthest  head 
and  so  forward  up  into  the  land  westward  sixty  miles ;  thence  to 
cross  over  to  the  end  of  the  sixty  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  Pis- 
cataqua river,  with  all  islands  within  five  leagues  of  the  coast."* 

On  the  I9th  of  March,  1628,  the  Plymouth  company,  by  their 
letters  patent,  granted  and  sold  to  Sir  Henry  Roswell  and  his  asso- 
ciates ' '  all  that  part  of  New  England  lying  between  three  miles  to 
the  northward  of  Merrimack  river  and  three  miles  to  the  southward 
of  Charles  river,  and  in  length  within  the  described  breadth  from 
the  Atlantic  Ocean  to  the  South  Sea."  This  grant  to  Sir  Henry 
Roswell  and  his  associates  was  afterwards  in  the  year  1629  confirmed 
by  King  Charles  I.  by  letters  patent,  incorporating  these  grantees 
of  the  Plymouth  Company  by  the  name  of  the  Governor  and  Com- 
pany of  Massachusetts  Bay  in  New  England,"  with  perpetual  suc- 
cession, with  the  right  to  elect  forever  out  of  the  freemen  of  the  com- 
pany, a  Governor,  deputy  Governor  and  eighteen  assistants,  and  to 
make  laws  not  repugnant  to  the  laws  of  England. f 

It  may  be  readily  seen  that  these  several  grants  to  Mason  and  the 
Massachusetts  company  conflicted,  a  large  tract  of  the  same  territory 
being  embraced  within  the  limits  of  each  of  them.  As  will  appear 
in  the  sequel,  this  conflict  of  boundaries  many  years  afterwards  be- 
came the  occasion  of  much  trouble  and  tedious  litigation  between 
the  heirs  of  Mason  and  New  Hampshire  on  one  side  and  Massachu- 
setts on  the  other.  Holding  under  this  grant  of  the  Plymouth  Com- 
pany, confirmed  by  the  Royal  Charter,  the  Massachusetts  Company, 
afterwards  acting  through  the  General  Court  of  the  Province,  from 
time  to  time  made  grants  of  land  to  individuals,  corporations  and 
companies,  for  Plantations  and  Townships.  Such  grants  were  made 
upon  petition  for  them  to  the  General  Court,  and  were  usually  coupled 
with  such  conditions  as  it  was  believed  would  promote  the  common 
interest  of  the  province  and  the  welfare  of  the  settlers.  In  this  man- 
ner townships  were  originally  granted,  and  became  organized  in 
Massachusetts  without  any  more  formal  act  of  incorporation,  and  the 

*Holmes'  Annals,  Vol.  I,  p.  199. 
fid,  pp.  193,  195. 


1673]  CHARTER    OF    DUNSTABLE.  19 

grantees  named  in  the  charter  thus  invested  with  the  title  to  all  the 
land  within  the  boundaries  of  the  township,  subject  to  such  condi- 
tions as  might  be  imposed  by  the  act  making  the  grant. 

For  many  years  prior  to  1679,  the  Provinces  of  New  Hampshire 
and  Massachusetts  had  been  under  the  same  government,  but  in  that 
year,  upon  petition  to  the  King,  they  were  separated,  and  New 
Hampshire  became  a  "  royal  province,"  the  King  being  represented 
in  its  government  by  a  Governor  and  Council  of  his  own  appoint- 
ment. After  this  separation  the  like  grants  of  townships  and  town 
charters  were  made  in  New  Hampshire,  as  in  Massachusetts,  those 
in  New  Hampshire  being  granted  by  the  Governor  and  Council  of 
the  province  in  the  name  of  the  King,  subject  to  such  conditions  and 
limitations  as  were  expressed  in  the  charters,  and  supposed  to  be 
approved  by  the  King. 

CHARTER    OF    DUNSTABLE. 

The  old  township  of  Dunstable,  of  which  the  present  town  of 
Hollis  was  a  part,  was  chartered  by  the  General  Court  of  Massachu- 
setts Oct.  16,  1673,  O.  S.,  corresponding  to  Oct.  27,  1673,  N.  S. 
More  than  one  half  of  Dunstable,  as  chartered,  was  in  the  territory  in 
dispute  between  the  two  provinces,  but  at  the  date  of  its  charter,  and 
for  more  than  sixty  years'  afterwards,  it  was  supposed  to  be  wholly 
in  Massachusetts,  and  formed  a  part  of  the  county  of  Middlesex. 
It  included  within  its  chartered  boundaries  the  present  town  of 
Tyngsborough,  the  east  part  of  Dunstable,  a  narrow  triangular  gore 
on  the  north  side  of  Pepperell,  and  a  considerable  tract  in  the  north- 
east corner  of  Townsend  —  all  still  in  Massachusetts.  In  the  state  of 
New  Hampshire  it  embraced  the  towns  of  Litchfield  and  Hudson, 
the  south-west  part  of  Londonderry  and  the  west  part  of  Pelham,  on 
the  east  side  of  Merrimack  river  ;  and  on  the  west  side  of  that  river 
nearly  all  the  present  towns  of  Nashua  and  Hollis,  all  of,Amherst  and 
Merrimack  south  of  the  Souhegan  river,  and  about  two-thirds  of  each 
of  the  towns  of  Milford  and  Brookline. 

The  part  of  Dunstable  west  of  the  Merrimack  was  bounded  north 
by  the  Souhegan  river,  south  by  Chelmsford  and  Groton,  as  previ- 
ously chartered,  and  in  part  by  "  country  land"  (land  not  then  in 
any  chartered  town) ,  and  west  by  a  line  running  due  north  from  its 
southwest  corner  to  Dram  Cup  Hill,  on  the  Souhegan,  now  in  the 
town  of  Milford.  The  extreme  length  of  the  township  from  north 
to  south,  from  the  north  line  of  Litchfield  to  Chelmsford,  following 


2O  CHARTER   OF   DUNSTABLE.  \_1&T5 

the  course  of  the  Merrimack  was  about  seventeen  miles ;  its  least 
length  from  the  north  line  of  Groton  to  the  nearest  point  of  Souhe- 
gan  river  not  far  from  ten  miles.  Its  greatest  breadth  east  and  west 
could  not  have  been  less  than  sixteen  miles,  the  whole  comprising  an 
area  of  near  two  hundred  square  miles  or  128,000  acres. 

It  was  still,  at  that  time,  a  favorite  home  of  the  savage,  covered 
for  the  most  part  with  the  dense  native  forests,  abounding  in  game, 
and  its  rivers  with  fish,  the  Merrimack  flowing  from  north  to  south 
near  its  centre,  the  Souhegan  on  its  northern  border,  and  the  Nashua 
and  Nissitissit  in  the  south  and  southwest.  Besides  all  these  beau- 
tiful rivers  it  was  watered  by  hundreds  of  crystal  brooks  and  springs, 
and  gemmed  among  its  hills  and  valleys  with  scores  of  clear  and 
picturesque  ponds. 

From  out  this  fair  domain,  between  the  years  1655  and  1673,  many 
grants  had  been  made  by  the  General  Court  of  Massachusetts  of 
"Farms,"  so  called,  to  individuals  and  corporations,  mostly  along 
the  Merrimack  and  Souhegan,  varying  in  quantity  from  three  hun- 
dred to  fifteen  hundred  acres,  and  amounting  in  all  to  fourteen  thou- 
sand acres  or  more.  The  last  of  these  grants,  bearing  date  October 
n,  1673,  O.  S.,  but  a  few  days  before  the  charter,  was  made  to  the 
Boston  Artillery  Company,  since  known  by  the  well-earned  name 
and  title  of  the  "Ancient  and  Honorable."  This  last  grant  was  of 
one  thousand  acres,  and  was  laid  out  on  the  north  side  of  the  Nashua 
river,  at  its  intersection  with  the  Merrimack,  extending  north  along 
the  Merrimack  about  one  and  a  half  miles,  and  on  the  Nashua  to 
Spectacle  meadow  and  brook,  about  two  miles,  and  including  all  the 
compact  part  of  the  city  of  Nashua  north  of  the  river.  It  appears 
from  the  history  of  the  Artillery  Company  that  about  seventy  years 
afterwards  the  company  sold  this  tract  to  Col.  Joseph  Blanchard,  a 
gentleman  of  much  note  in  the  early  history  of  Dunstable.  The  re- 
membrance of  this  grant  has  been  affectionately  perpetuated  to  our 
times  in  the  name  of  a  small  basin  of  water  on  the  North  Common 
in  Nashua,  near  the  central  part  of  the  tract  given  to  the  Artillery 
Company,  and  still  known  as  "  Artillery  Pond." 

PETITION    FOR    THE    CHARTER. 

The  petition  for  this  charter  was  dated  Sept.  15,  1673,  O.  S.,  and 
was  signed  by  Thomas  Brattle,  Jonathan  Tyng,  and  twenty-four 
others,  including  a  part  of  the  owners  of  the  "Farms"  previously 
granted.  The  petitioners  stated  as  reasons  for  granting  the  charter 
that  "  the  Land  described  in  the  Petition  Was  of  little  Capacity  as  it 


CHARTER   OF   DUNSTABLE. 


21 


then  was  to  do  the  country  service  "  —  "  that  a  considerable  number 
of  persons  of  sober  and  orderly  conversation,  who  stood  in  great 
need  of  accommodations  were  ready  to  make  improvement  of  this 
vacant  Land  with  whom  the  owners  of  the  '  farms '  previously  granted 
were  ready  to  join  and  Encourage."  The  petition  then  concludes  as 
follows:  "  Yor Petitioners  therefore  Humbly  request  the  favour  of 
this  Honored  Court  that  they  will  please  to  grant  the  said  Tract  of 
Land  to  yor  Petitioners  and  to  such  as  will  joyne  with  them  in  the 
settlement  of  the  Land  aforementioned  so  that  those  who  have  already 
improved  their  Farmes  there  and  others  also  Who  speedily  intend  to 
doe  the  like  may  be  in  a  way  for  the  Enjoyment  of  the  Publique  or- 
dinances of  God ;  ffor  without  which  the  greatest  part  of  the  yeare 
they  will  be  deprived  of;  the  farmes  lying  far  remoat  from  any 
towns  ;  and  farther  that  this  Honoured  Court  will  please  to  grant  the 
like  Immunities  to  this  Plantation  as  they  in  their  favors  have  for- 
merly granted  to  other  new  Plantations.  So  shall  your  Petitioners 
be  ever  engaged  to  pray  &c. 


THOS.  EDWARDS, 
THO.  WHEELER,  Senior. 
PETER  BULKELEY. 
JOHN  PARKER. 
JOHN  MORSS,  Senior. 
SAMUEL  COMBS. 
JAMES  PARKER,  Junior. 
JOSIAH  PARKER. 
JOSEPH  PARKER. 
NATH.  BLOOD. 
ROB'T  PARRIS. 
JOHN  JOLLIFFE. 
ZAFENEA  LONG. 


THOMAS  BRATTLE. 
JONATHAN  TYNG. 
JOSEPH  WHEELER. 
JAMES  PARKER,  Senior. 
ROB'T  GIBBS. 
JOHN  TURNER. 
SAMPSON  SHEAFE. 
SAMUEL  SCARLET. 
WILLIAM  LAKIN. 
ABRAHAM  PARKER. 
JAMES  KNAPP. 
ROBERT  PROCTOR. 
SIMON  WILLARD." 


The  petition  was  granted,  and  the  charter  or  act  of  incorporation, 
as  copied  from  the  original  manuscript  record,  is  in  the  words  fol- 
lowing : 

"The  Magistrates  Judge  it  Meet  to  grant  the  Petitioners  Request  herein;  Provided  that  a 
farme  of  Five  Hundred  Acres  of  Upland  &  Meadow  be  layed  out  for  the  Publick  use,  and  that 
they  so  proceed  in  settling  ye  Plantation  as  to  finish  it  out  within  three  years  &  procure  &  main- 
tayne  an  able  &  Orthodox  minister  amongst  them ;  the  Magistrs  have  passed  this,  their  brethren 
the  Deputies  hereto  consenting. 

EDWARD  RAWSON,  SECRET. 

16  October  1673. 

The  Deputyes  consent  hereto. 

WILLIAM  TORREY,    CLERICUS." 

Such,  in  those  times,  and  for  many  years  after,  were  the  usual  con 
ditions  upon  which  the  General  Court  of  Massachusetts  granted 
charters  for  towns.  The  procuring  and  maintenance  of  an  "  able 
and  orthodox"  minister  was  an  indispensable  condition,  and  in  case 
a  Town  should  be  destitute  of  such  lawful  minister  for  six  consecu- 
tive months,  it  was  made  the  duty  of  the  Court  of  Sessions,  at  the 


22  DUNSTABLE.  LZ^73    to 

charge  of  the  town,  to  procure  and  settle  one  that  would  answer  the 
Law.  By  "  finishing,"  or  "  finishing  out  the  Plantation  within  three 
years,"  was  undoubtedly  meant,  the  procuring  within  that  time  of 
such  number  of  settlers  as  would  be  competent  to  the  support  of 
such  minister  and  the  building  of  a  meeting-house.  That  such  was 
the  meaning  of  the  words  "  finish  out  the  Plantation  within  three 
years"  is  more  than  implied  in  the  action  of  the  petitioners,  and  in 
the  conditions  upon  which  at  the  time,  they  made  grants  of  "  House 
Letts,"  so  called,  to  actual  settlers  ;  each  settler  being  required  by  his 
contract  to  "clear,  fence,  break  up,  build  a  house,  and  Live  upon 
his  Lot  within  three  years "  from  the  date  of  the  charter  under  the 
penalty  of  forfeiture.  By  the  granting  of  this  charter,  the  Twenty- 
Six  Petitioners  became  the  owners  of  all  the  ungranted  Lands  within 
the  Boundaries  of  Old  Dunstable,  which,  if  equally  shared,  would 
have  given  to  each  of  them  not  less  than  four  thousand  acres.  About 
twelve  years  later,  for  the  consideration  of  £20,  as  is  said,  the  title 
of  the  Proprietors  was  confirmed  by  the  Naticook  &  Wamesit  In- 
dians—  the  Naticooks  then  living  about  Thornton's  Ferry,  the  Wam- 
esits  near  Pawtucket  Falls. 

GRANTEES    AND    PROPRIETORS. 

Many  of  the  grantees  of  the  "  Farms"  as  well  as  of  the  petitioners 
for  the  charter  were  at  the  time  men  of  note  in  the  Province. 
Among  the  former  were  John  Endicott,  Governor  of  Massachusetts, 
and  William  Brenton,  afterwards  Governor  of  Rhode  Island. 
Among  the  latter  were  William  Brattle,  whose  name  is  perpetuated 
in  Brattle  Street,  Brattle  Street  Church,  and  Brattle's  End,  Dun- 
stable  ;  Peter  Bulkeley,  a  fellow  of  Harvard  College  and  Speaker  of 
the  Provincial  Assembly  ;  Sampson  Sheafe,  a  member  of  the  Provin- 
cial Council  of  New  Hampshire,  and  others  of  no  less  note. 

PERAMBULATION   AND    SURVEY. 

The  Spring  next  after  its  incorporation,  Dunstable  was  perambu- 
lated and  the  boundaries  of  the  town  established  and  marked  by 
Jonathan  Danforth  of  Billerica,  who  had  laid  off  the  grant  to  the 
Boston  Artillery  Company  the  fall  previous,  the  towns  of  Chelms- 
ford  and  Groton  some  years  before,  and  who  is  spoken  of  in  Mr. 
Farmer's  biographical  notice  of  him  as  one  of  the  most  eminent  sur- 
veyors of  his  time.  In  an  elegy  written  in  memory  of  Mr.  Danforth, 
it  is  said  of  him  : 

"  He  rode  the  circuit ;  chained  great  towns  and  farms 
To  good  behavior ;  and  by  well  marked  stations 
He  fixed  their  bounds  for  many  generations." 


1673  tO  1739]  DUNSTABLE.  23 

NAME,  ETC. 

The  nafne  Dunstable  is  said  to  have  been  given  to  the  new  town 
in  compliment  to  Madam  Mary  Tyng,  wife  of  Hon.  Edward  Tyng, 
and  mother  of  Jonathan  Tyng,  one  of  the  grantees  in  the  charter, 
Madam  Tyng  having  come  from  a  city  of  the  same  name  in  Bed- 
fordshire, in  the  southerly  part  of  England.  This  charter  of  Dunstable 
is  older  by  near  sixty  years  than  that  of  any  town  in  New  Hamp- 
shire west  of  the  Merrimack,  that  of  Rumford,  now  Concord,  in- 
corporated in  1733,  being  among  the  next  oldest. 

COMPACT    OF   THE    GRANTEES. 

Before  taking  possession  or  making  any  division  of  their  ample 
domains,  the  grantees,  following  the  prudent  example  of  the  Pilgrims 
of  the  Mayflower,  entered  into  a  social  written  compact  regulating 
their  future  polity  in  respect  to  the  disposition  and  settlement  of  the  . 
town.  In  this  compact,  among  other  matters,  it  was  agreed  that 
•each  accepted  settler,  as  a  personal  right  should  have  a  "  house  lott" 
-of  ten  acres,  one  acre  to  be  added  to  the  ten  for  each  £20  of  estate, 
but  no  "  house  lott"  to  exceed  thirty  acres  ;  and  all  after-divisions  of 
the  common  land  to  be  apportioned  according  to  house  lots. 

These  lots  were  to  be  laid  out  in  the  same  neighborhood  and  ad- 
joining each  other,  for  convenience  of  defence  in  case  of  hostile  at- 
tack. "  If  any  settler  should  fail  to  pay  his  dues  or  taxes,  his  lot  to 
be  seized  by  the  town  and  held  till  payment."  "  To  the  end  that 
they  might  live  in  peace  and  love  with  each  other,  every  settler  was 
to  fence  his  garden,  orchard  and  cornfield  with  a  sufficient  fence, 
four  rails  in  height ;  and  all  land  not  fenced  was  to  be  free  and  com- 
mon to  all  the  cattle  of  the  proprietors." 

HOUSE    LOTS    LAID    OFF    AND    SETTLEMENT    BEGUN. 

These  house  lots,  said  to  have  been  about  eighty  in  all,  were  laid 
•out  not  long  afterwards,  contiguous  to  each  other,  beginning  at  the 
14  Neck,"  so  called,  near  the  mouth  of  Salmon  Brook,  and  extending 
southerly  along  that  brook,  the  Merrimack  river  and  the  main  road 
in  the  direction  towards  the  ancient  burial  ground  near  the  present 
state  line.  Near  by,  and  not  far  from  the  site  of  the  old  school- 
hoitse  in  the  present  Harbor  School  District,  the  first  fort  or  garri- 
son house  was  built,  to  which  the  settlers  could  retire  in  case  of 
•danger. 

It  is  very  evident  that  settlements  had  been  begun  on  these  house 


24  DUNSTABLE.  Ll^7Z  to 

lots  as  early  as  the  spring  of  1674,  as  we  find  on  the  town  records, 
that  on  the  nth  of  May  of  that  year,  at  a  meeting  of  the  "-Farmers," 
"Proprietors"  under  the  charter,  and  "township  men"  or  new 
settlers,  it  was  "voted  that  the  first  meeting-house  should  be  built 
between  Salmon  Brook  and  the  house  of  Lieutenant  Wheeler  as 
convenient  as  may  be  for  the  accommodation  of  both." 

Thus  was  begun,  in  the  wilderness,  two  hundred  years  ago,  the 
infant  settlement  at  Salmon  Brook.  For  sixty  years  afterwards,  it 
stood  there,  solitary  and  alone,  no  town  north  of  it  this  side  of 
Canada  ;  none  east  of  it,  in  New  Hampshire  to  the  west  of  Exeter — 
fifty  miles ;  none  to  the  south-east,  south  or  south-west,  nearer  than 
Chelmsford,  Groton  and  Lancaster,  at  the  respective  distances  of 
fourteen,  fifteen  and  twenty-five  miles. 

KING  PHILIP'S  WAR. 

The  next  year,  in  the  summer  of  1675  >  the  bloody  war  begun 
by  the  crafty  and  cruel  King  Philip  for  the  extermination  of  the 
English,  broke  upon  the  New  England  Colonies.  The  new  towns 
of  Lancaster,  Groton  and  Chelmsford  were  attacked  and  burnt,  their 
inhabitants  murdered,  carried  into  captivity  or  driven  from  their 
homes.  With  the  exception  of  the  brave  Jonathan  Tyng,  every 
settler  at  Dunstable  fled.  Tyng  alone  refused  to  leave,  and  fortify- 
ing his  house  he  resolved  to  defend  it  to  the  last.  He  petitioned  the 
General  Court  of  Massachusetts  for  a  little  "  guard  of  three  or  four 
men,"  saying  in  his  petition  "  that  he  was  living  in  the  uppermost 
house  on  the  Merrimack,  lying  open  to  the  enemy,  but  so  seated  as 
to  be,  as  it  were,  a  watch-house  for  the  neighboring  towns."  The 
petition  was  granted,  and  with  this  little  Spartan  band,  Tyng  stoutly 
defended  his  rude  castle  and  held  the  town  till  the  end  of  the  war. 

Jonathan  Tyng  thus  nobly  and  gallantly  earned  the  honor  of  being 
the  first  permanent  settler  of  Dunstable,  and  of  all  of  that  part  of 
New  Hampshire  west  of  the  Merrimack,  and  of  having  his 
name  perpetuated  by  a  grateful  posterity  in  that  of  the  town  of 
Tyngsborough. 

In  1678,  peace  came  again  ;  the  fugitive  settlers  at  Salmon  Brook, 
or  such  of  them  as  had  survived  the  war,  were  at  liberty  to  return, 
and  the  same  year  it  is  said,  the  first  meeting-house  was  built.  t  At 
one  of  their  town  meetings,  about  this  time,  it  was  "  voted  that  the 
number  of  settlers  might  be  increased  but  not  so  as  to  exceed  eighty 
families  in  all."  In  1679  the  plantation  was  at  last  "finished  out" 
by  the  "procuring  and  maintaining"  the  Rev.  Thomas  Weld  as 


1 673  tO  1 739]  DUNSTABLE.  25 

their  first  "  learned  and  orthodox  minister  amongst  them."  Under 
the  ministration  of  Mr.  Weld,  the  settlement  so  increased  and  pro,s- 
pered  that  in  1685  it  became  necessary  to  build  a  larger  meeting- 
house, "  about  the  size  of  the  one  at  Groton,"  as  the  town  records- 
have  it. 

BIRTHS,    MARRIAGES    AND    DEATHS. 

In  the  ancient  records  of  births,  marriages  and  deaths,  we  find 
that  the  first  recorded  birth  was  that  of  William,  son  of  Jonathan 
and  Mary  Tyng,  April  22,  1679.  The  first  marriage  that  of  John 
Sollendine,  the  Michael  Angelo  of  the  first  meeting-house,  and  the 
architect  of  the  first  bridge  across  Salmon  Brook,  Aug.  2,  1680. 
The  first  recorded  death  that  of  the  Hon.  Edward  Tyng,  Dec.  22, 
1681,  aged  81. 

KING  WILLIAM'S  WAR. 

After  an  unquiet  peace  for  about  ten  years,  the  beginning  of  the 
war,  known  in  history  as  "  King  William's,"  was  signalized  in  New 
England  by  the  treacherous  and  horrible  murder  of  Major  Waldron 
and  twenty-two  other  inhabitants  of -Dover  by  the  Penacook  and 
Eastern  Indians,  and  the  carrying  off  a  still  larger  number  as  cap- 
tives to  Canada.  The  same  party  of  savages  had  planned  an  attack 
at  the  same  time  upon  Dunstable,  but  its  execution  was  prevented  by 
a  timely  discovery  of  the  plot.  Two  companies  of  mounted  scouts  of 
twenty  men  each,  afterwards  reinforced  by  fifty,  were  promptly  de- 
tailed to  patrol  the  woods  from  Lancaster  to  Dunstable.  But  these 
precautions  did  not  save  the  settlement  at  Salmon  Brook  from  attack 
and  massacre.  The  town  records  tell  in  graphic  words,  said  to  be 
in  the  handwriting  of  Mr.  Weld,  their  first  minister,  the  sad  tale  of 
two  of  these  attacks. 

Anno  Domini  1691. 

Be1njaminSHassell)  their  son,     I    Indl'an  E"?mi5;s 
Mary  Marks,  Daughter  of  Sf  P£  2  ln  *«  Eve' 

Patrick  Marks  J    "lnS- 

Died   by  the  hand  of.  our   In- 

There  were  at  this  time  in  the  settlement  at  Salmon  Brook,  four 
garrison  houses,  two  of  them  having  four  soldiers  each,  one  six  and 
another  seven.  Such  garrison  houses,  as  described  by  Dr.  Belknap, 
were  surrounded  with  walls  of  timber  built  up  to  the  eaves,  with  the 
gates  as  well  as  the  house  doors  secured  by  iron  bolts  and  bars.  So 


26  DUNSTABLE.  [^73  to  *739 

much  had  the  settlement  been  reduced  by  this  war  that  in  1696  two- 
thirds  of  the  inhabitants  had  fled,  and  in  1699  there  were  but  twenty 
heads  of  families  to  contribute  to  the  minister's  wood  rate.  This 
war  lasted  ten  years.  Cotton  Mather,  who  wrote  its  history,  calls 
them  "  Decennium  Luctuosum"  —  the  decade  of  sorrows. 

QUEEN  ANNE'S  WAR. 

In  the  year  1703,  after  a  short  truce,  the  war  known  as  Qneen 
Anne's,  broke  upon  the  colonies,  and  also  lasted  ten  years.  The 
scholarly  Penhallow,  who,  as  a  member  of  the  New  Hampshire 
Council,  was  an  actor  in  it,  and  who  wrote  the  history  of  the  Indian 
wars,  from  1703  to  1726,  inscribes  the  title-page  of  his  book  with  the 
sad,  classic  words :  — 

"  Nescio  tu  quibus  es,  Lector,  lecturus  ocellis 

Hoc  scio,  quod  siccis,  scribere  non  potui." 
(With  what  eyes,  O  reader,  you  will  read  this  tale, 

I  know  not, 
This  I  do  know,  mine  were  not  dry  when  writing  it.) 

The  Eastern  and  Canadian  Indians  again  took  part  with  the 
French,  and  in  the  course  of  a  few  weeks  more  than  two  hundred 
settlers  along  our  northern  frontier  were  killed  or  captured  and  taken 
to  Canada.  "  Terror  ubique  tremor,  "says  Penhallow — "fear  and 
trembling  everywhere." 

In  this  war,  the  General  Court,  in  retaliation  of  the  example  of  the 
government  of  Canada,  offered  a  bounty  of  £40  each  for  Indian 
scalps.  Capt.  John  Tyng,  of  Dunstable,  was  the  first  to  avail  him- 
self of  this  grim  bounty,  and  went,  in  the  depth  of  winter,  says  the 
historian,  to  the  Indian  headquarters  and  got  five,  for  which  he  was 
paid  £200.  Early  in  the  war  the  garrison  house  of  Robert  Parris,  in 
the  south  part  of  the  settlement,  was  attacked,  and  himself,  wife  and 
one  daughter  killed. 

In  1706,  the  Weld  Garrison,  so  called,  then  occupied  by  twenty 
troopers,  was  surprised  by  the  savages,  and  one-half  of  the^soldiers' 
killed.     The  same  party  murdered  six  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  town. 
The  story  of  this  last  massacre  is  thus  told  in  the  town  records :  — 

Nathan  Blanchard  1 

Lydia  Blanchard  his  wife  I    Dyed  July 

Susannah  Blanchard  his  daughter  >  3,  1700,  at 

Mrs.  Hannah  Blanchard  J    night. 

Goody  Cumings  wife  of  John  Cumings.  J 

Rachel  Galusha,  Dyed  July  3,  1706. 

At  this  time,  including  a  block-house  built  by  the  government, 
there  were  seven  garrison  houses  in  the  settlement,  each  having  one 
or  more  soldiers,  the  town  being  still  a  "  Watch-house"  for  the 
interior  settlements. 


1673  tO  1739]  DUNSTABLE.  2/ 

LOVEWELL'S  WAR. 

In  1713  the  Peace  of  Utrecht  put  an  end  to  Queen  Anne's  War. 
A  treacherous  peace  followed,  till  1722,  when  the  war  was  renewed. 
Dunstable,  still  on  the  extreme  frontier,  was  attacked,  two  of  her  cit- 
izens captured  and  carried  to  Canada  by  a  party  of  the  enemy.  The 
savages  were  pursued  by  soldiers  from  the  town,  who  were  am- 
bushed, eight  of  them  slaughtered,  and  all  buried  in  the  same  grave. 

The  following  epitaph  in  the  ancient  burial  ground,  "  spelt  by  the 
unlettered  Muse,"  tells  the  bloody  tale. 

"  MEMENTO    MORI. 

"  Here  lies  the  body  of  Thomas  Lund  who  departed 

"  this  life  Sept.  24,  1724,  in  the  42d  year  of  his  age. 

"  This  man,  with  seven  more  that  lies  in  this  grave, 

"  Was  all  slew  in  a  day  by  the  Indians." 

In  the  month  of  November  after  this  slaughter,  the  "  worthy  Cap- 
tain Lovewell  "  and  his  company  of  fearless  and  hardy  men  volun- 
teered to  "range  the  woods  full  wide"  and  fight  the  Indians  for  a 
year.  I  need  not  in  this  place  repeat  the  story  of  the  first,  the  sec- 
ond, or  the  last  expedition  of  this  band  of  daring  backwoodsmen, 

"What  time  the  noble  Lovewell  came 

With  fifty  men  from  Dunstable 
The  cruel  Pequot  tribe  to  tame 

With  arms  and  bloodshed  terrible, 

all  familiar  from  our  childhood  as  household  words.  From  that  day 
to  our  own,  in  our  sober  histories,  in  works  of  fiction,  in  oral  tra- 
dition, in  our  most  popular  New  England  ballads,  the  names  of 
"worthy  Captain  Lovewell"  and  Dunstable  have  been  joined  to- 
gether, as  it  were,  in  holy  wedlock,  never  to  be  put  asunder.  Of  the 
seventy  savages  in  the  desperate  conflict  at  Pequawkett,  according  to 
Penhallow  forty  were  killed  on  the  field  and  eighteen  mortally 
wounded.  Of  the  thirty-four  men  of  Lovewell's  company,  in  the 
battle  fifteen  were  killed,  including  all  the  officers,  besides  many 
wounded.  Well  and  worthily  has  a  New  Hampshire  bard,  upon 
visiting  the  battlefield  one  hundred  years  afterwards,  sung  of  them, 

"  Ah !  Where  are  the  soldiers  that  fought  here  of  yore ! 

The  sod  is  upon  them,  they'll  struggle  no  more, 
The  hatchet  is  fallen — the  red  man  is  low, 

But  near  him  reposes  the  arm  of  his  foe. 
The  names  of  the  fallen  the  traveller  leaves 

Cut  out  with  his  knife  on  the  bark  of  the  trees, 
But  little  avail  his  affectionate  arts, 

For  the  names  of  the  fallen  are  graved  on  our  hearts. 
Sleep,  soldiers  of  merit !  Sleep,  gallants  of  yore, 

The  hatchet  is  fallen,  the  struggle  is  o'er, 
While  the  fir  tree  is  green  or  the  wind  rolls  a  wave, 

The  tear  drop  shall  brighten  the  turf  of  the  brave." 


28  DUNSTABLE.  \_l^Z  to  1 739 

Though  the  combatants  were  so  few,  and  this  bloody  conflict  ap- 
parently a  drawn  battle  (neither  party  being  in  a  condition  to  pur- 
sue the  other)  yet  so  far  as  related  to  New  England  it  had  all  the  re- 
sults of  a  decisive  and  complete  victory.  It  was  the  last  battle  of  the 
war ;  the  power  of  the  hostile  savages  was  forever  broken,  and  such 
of  them  as  were  left  gradually  withdrew  from  their  ancient  haunts 
and  hunting-grounds  in  New  England  to  the  French  settlements  in 
Canada.  Peace  followed  the  ensuing  winter,  and  from  that  time  to 
the  present  the  little  settlement  at  Salmon  Brook,  so  persistently  and 
bravely  defended  for  the  preceding  fifty  years,  has  never  been  inva- 
ded by  a  hostile  savage.  From  the  breaking  out  of  King  William's 
War  to  the  making  of  this  peace  was  a  period  of  thirty-seven  years, 
twenty-three  of  this  savage  warfare,  and  but  fourteen  of  treacher- 
ous, uncertain  peace.  During  all  these  sad  years  the  settlers  in  this 
ancient  town,  feeble  and  few  in  numbers,  but  always  trusting  in 
God,  and  literally  keeping  "  their  powder  dry,"  were  yet  ever  firm 
and  defiant.  Living  for  the  most  part  in  garrisons,  felling  the  forests 
and  planting  their  fields  with  their  arms  ready  at  hand  — listening  to 
the  sermon  on  Sunday  with  their  loaded  muskets  by  their  seats,  or 
stacked  at  the  meeting-house  door — their  bravest  men  waylaid  and 
slaughtered — their  wives  and  children  massacred  in  their  houses,  or 
hurried  off  to  a  captivity  often  worse  than  death  —  they  maintained 
this  out-post  of  our  modern  Christian  civilization  with  heroic  courage 
to  the  end. 

When  we  turn  our  eyes  backward  to  the  bloody  scenes,  to  the  ter- 
rors and  sorrows  of  the  past,  and  contrast  those  scenes  and  those 
sorrows  with  the  peace  and  blessings  of  the  present,  and  call  to  mind 
to  what  extent  this  quiet  and  these  blessings  are  due  to  the  sacrifices 
and  sufferings  of  Ale  early  pioneers  of  Dunstable,  what  heart  not 
palsied,  can  fail  to  throb  with  emotions  of  gratitude  to  our  common 
Father  for  so  worthy  an  ancestry. 

It  would  be  forgetfulness  of  a  duty  we  owe  alike  to  ourselves,  to 
those  who  shall  come  after  us  when  we  are  gone,  to  the  institutions 
civil  and  religious  they  did  so  much  to  establish,  and  to  our  common 
humanity,  should  we  neglect  so  far  as  in  us  lies  to  perpetuate  the  re- 
membrance of  their  worthy  and  noble  deeds. 


1673  tO  1739]  DUNSTABLE.  29 

POPULATION. 

The  population  of  Dunstable  at  this  period,  as  stated  by  Mr.  Fox, 
was  as  follows : 

1680,  30  families,  or  about  120  inhabitants. 
1701, 25         "         "      "      100  " 

1711,  13         "          "      "       86  " 

'730,50        "          "      "     250  " 

THE  EFFECTS  OF  THE  RETURN  OF  PEACE. 

With  the  return  of  peace,  both  the  town  of  Dunstable  and  all  the 
country  round,  begun  to  experience  a  degree  of  prosperity  never  en- 
joyed before,  and  settlements  were  soon  extended  north  and  west  of 
the  Nashua,  and  east  of  the  Merrimack.  As  we  have  already  seen, 
no  town  before  that  time  had  been  chartered  north  or  west  of  Dun- 
stable,  in  what  is  now  New  Hampshire,  for  the  preceding  fifty  years. 
But  such  was  the  benign  influence  of  peace,  that  within  sixteen 
years  after  "  Lovewell's  Fight"  twenty-eight  towns,  now  in  New 
Hampshire,  had  been  chartered  or  granted  by  the  General  Court  of 
Massachusetts,  and  more  or  less  settled,  extending  north  on  the  Mer- 
rimack, to  Stevenstown  (now  Franklin  and  Salisbury)  about  sixty 
miles,  and  on  the  Connecticut  to  No  4,  now  Charlestown,  near 
seventy  miles. 

FIRST    DISMEMBERMENTS    OF1  DUNSTABLE. 

About  this  period,  or  a  little  before,  began  the  legislative  dismem- 
berments and  mutilations  of  the  body  politic  of  the  town  of  Dunsta- 
"ble — afterwards  continued  with  more  or  less  frequency  for  near  a 
century — a  treatment  little  less  unkind  and  cruel  in  its  way  than  that 
suffered  by  the  early  settlers  from  the  savages.  The  first  of  these  ex- 
cisions was  in  the  year  1722  when  its  north-east  extremity  was  cut 
off*,  to  fill  up  a  corner  of  the  Town  of  Londonderry.  The  next,  in 
1731,  when  a  small  slice  of  it  of  about  eighty  acres,  was  taken  from 
near  its  south-west  corner  to  piece  out  a  side  of  Townsend. 

In  the  year  1732,  all  the  remainder  of  the  old  town  on  the  east 
side  of  the  Merrimack,  extending  from  the  north  line  of  Litchfield 
to  Chelmsford,  was  incorporated  into  a  new  town  then  called  Not- 
tingham. 

In  the  year  1 734,  the  north  part  of  the  then  new  town  of  Notting- 
ham, and  a  part  of  the  present  town  of  Merrimack,  south  of  the 
Souhegan,  at  the  junction  of  that  river  with  the  Merrimack,  were 
incorporated  into  a  town  then  and  still  called  Litchfield. 


3O  DUNSTABLE.  [J673  to  1739 

Both  of  these  towns  being  incorporated  by  the  General  Court  of 
Massachusetts,  were  required  within  three  years  from  the  date  of 
their  respective  charters  to  be  "finished  out"  by  procuring  and  "set- 
tling in  each  of  them  a  learned  and  orthodox  minister  of  good  con- 
versation, and  making  effectual  provision  for  his  comfortable  and 
honorable  support." 

In  1739  that  part  of  Dunstable  lying  west  of  the  present  east  line 
of  Hollis  and  the  Nashua  river  was  incorporated  as  a  parish,  known 
by  the  name  of  the  West  Parish  of  Dunstable.  This  charter  of 
West  Dunstable,  as  also  that  of  Nottingham,  authorized  the  assess- 
ment of  a  tax  of  two  pence  per  acre  upon  all  lands  of  non-resident 
owners,  within  their  chartered  limits  for  the  space  of  five  years  for 
the  building  of  a  meeting  house  and  the  support  of  the  ministry. 
The  incorporation  of  West  Dunstable  was  the  last  legislative  act  of 
the  General  Court  of  Massachusetts  affecting  that  part  of  the  old 
town  now  in  New  Hampshire. 


I73O  tO  1 739-]      SETTLEMENT    OF   WEST    DUNSTABLE.  3! 


CHAPTER   II. 

CHARTER  OF  THE  PARISH    OF  WEST   DUNSTABLE. ITS    SETTLEMENT 

AND  HISTORY  FROM  1730  TO  1 739' 

Under  the  Laws  of  the  Province  of  Massachusetts,  in  force  at  the 
time,  the  twenty-six  petitioners  for  the  charter  of  Dunstable,  "with 
such  as  might  joyn  with  them  in  the  settlement,"  became  owners  in 
fee  simple,  as  tenants  in  common,  of  all  the  ungranted  land  within 
the  boundaries  of  the  township.  In  the  year  1682$  shortly  after  the 
close  of  King  Philip's  war,  a  meeting  of  these  proprietors  was  held, 
who  formed  themselves  into  an  association  for  the  purpose  of  settling 
their  several  rights  —  of  making  divisions  of  their  lands  from  time  to 
time  among  themselves  in  the  modes  and  proportions  mutually 
agreed  upon  —  and  also  for  the  making  of  sales  and  setting  off  the 
lands  disposed  of  to  purchasers  and  actual  settlers. 

The  meetings  of  these  original  proprietors,  and  of  those  who  suc- 
ceeded to  their  estates,  afterwards  continued  to  be  held  (sometimes  at 
intervals  of  many  years,)  for  more  than  a  century,  the  last  of  them  as 
late  as  1816.  The  doings  of  this  association,  including  the  partitions 
and  sales  of  land  made  by  the  proprietors  were  carefully  recorded  in 
books  kept  by  them  for  the  purpose,  now  worn  and  mutilated,  but 
still  to  be  found  in  the  office  of  the  city  clerk  of  Nashua. 

Before  the  year  1729,  most  of  the  land  of  these  proprietors  lying  in 
the  present  towns  of  Nashua,  Hudson  and  Litchfield,  N.  H.,  and 
Tyngsborough  and  Dunstable,  Mass.,  had  changed  ownership,  and 
much  of  it  was  then  in  the  occupation  of  actual  settlers.  Previous  to 
that  year,  no  record  of  any  sale  or  grant  to  any  one  of  the  early 
settlers  of  Hollis  of  land  in  that  town  is  to  be  found  in  the  books 
kept  by  these  proprietors.  But  in  the  month  of  January,  1729-30, 
O.  S.,  as  is  shown  by  these  records,  the  modest  quantity  of  37  1-2 
acres  was  set  off  by  the  proprietors  to  Peter  Powers,  in  the  right  of 
John  Usher.  The  survey  of  it  was  made  by  Col.  Joseph  Blanchard, 


33  SETTLEMENT    OF   DUNSTABLE.  [I73°  to  J739 

an  honored  citizen  of  Dunstable,  and  a  noted  surveyor  of  the  time, 
and  was  set  off  to  Powers  by  Henry  Farwell,  Joseph  French  and 
William  Lund  as  a  committee  acting  for  the  association.  This  tract 
is  described  in  the  record  as  lying  in  that  part  of  Dunstable  called 
"  Nissitissit,"  which  was  the  Indian  name  of  Hollis.  It  was  laid  out 
in  an  oblong  120  rods  east  and  west,  and  50  rods  from  north  to  south. 
Some  years  afterwards,  as  is  shown  by  these  records  of  the  proprie- 
tors there  were  set  off  to  Powers  as  purchaser  and  grantee,  in  a  simi- 
lar way  several  other  tracts  of  land  in  Hollis,  amounting  in  all  to 
nearly  1400  acres,  among  which  was  one  tract  of  1000  acres  lying 
between  Long  and  Pennichuck  ponds,  but  he  is  the  only  person 
among  the  early  settlers  of  Hollis  whose  name  is  found  as  a  grantee 
upon  the  books  of  that  association. 

Mr.  Powers,  afterward  known  as  "  Capt.  Powers,"  and  as  a  lead- 
ing and  prominent  citizen  of  Hollis,  was  born  at  Littleton,  Mass.,  in 
1707.  In  1728  he  was  married  to  Anna  Keyes  of  Chelmsford,  and 
the  same  year  removed  with  his  wife  to  that  part  of  Dunstable  now 
known  as  Nashua.  During  the  summer  and  fall  of  1730,  he  made 
the  first  clearing  and  built  the  first  dwelling  house  in  Hollis.  In  the 
month  of  January,  1731,  with  his  wife  and  two  infant  children  he 
made  his  way  through  the  then  dense,  unbroken  forest  to  his  new 
home  and  thus  became  the  first  permanent  settler  of  the  town.  The 
site  of  this  humble  dwelling,  no  doubt  built  of  logs,  was  about  one- 
half  mile  N.  W.  of  the  present  Hollis  meeting-house,  but  a  short 
distance  from  the  house  formerly  owned  by  Thomas  Cumings,  after- 
wards by  his  son-in-law,  Mr.  John  S.  Heywood,  now  deceased,  where 
vestiges  of  the  old  cellar,  as  is  said,  may  be  still  seen.  For  nearly 
two  years  this  family  had  no  neighbor  within  about  ten  miles  of 
them.  On  the  pth  of  March,  1732,  their  eldest  daughter,  Anna 
Powers,  was  born,  who  was  the  first  child  of  English  descent  born 
in  the  town. 

In  the  summer  of  1732,  Eleazer  Flagg  from  Concord,  Mass., 
settled  in  the  S.  W.  part  of  the  town,  on  or  near  the  place  after- 
wards owned  by  his  grandson,  Capt.  Reuben  Flagg,  and  now  by 
Timothy  E.  Flagg,  Esq.,  about  two  miles  from  Mr.  Powers.  The 
house  of  Mr.  Flagg  is  said  to  have  been  fortified  against  the  attacks 
of  the  Indians,  and  was  used  as  a  garrison  house.  Mr.  F.  was  the 
second  settler.  The  third  family  is  said  to  have  been  that  of  Thomas 
Dinsmore  from  Bedford,  Mass.,  who  settled  on  the  farm  now 
owned  by  John  Coburn,  Esq.,  about  one  and  a  half  miles  south  of  the 
meeting-house,  on  the  road  from  Hollis  to  Pepperell.  In  the  year 
1736  the  number  of  settlers  is  said  to  have  increased  to  nine  families. 


1 73°   to    1739]  SETTLEMENT    OF   WEST    DUNSTABLE.  33 

The  whole  of  the  township  of  Dunstable,  as  we  have  already 
stated,  from  the  date  of  the  charter,  till  the  new  province  line  was 
settled  in  the  spring  of  1741,  was  believed  to  be  in  the  county  of 
Middlesex  and  a  part  of  it.  The  office  of  the  Register  of  Deeds  for 
that  county  was  and  still  is  at  Cambridge,  where,  by  the  province 
law  of  the  time,  the  deeds  of  all  real  estate  within  the  county  were  to 
be  recorded.  But  no  recqrds  of  deeds  of  land  in  Hollis,  to  persons 
known  to  have  been  early  inhabitants  of  the  town,  are  to  be  found  in 
that  office  of  a  date  prior  to  1731. 

Subsequent  however  to  1731  and  before  the  spring  of  1741  it  is 
shown  by  these  records  that  between  those  dates  a  very  considerable 
number  of  deeds  of  land  now  in  Hollis  were  made  to  the  early  set- 
tlers of  the  town.  Many  of  these  deeds,  in  addition  to  their  date,  a 
description  of  the  land  sold,  and  the  name  of  the  grantee,  give  also 
his  occupation,  and  place  of  former  residence.  Among  these  deeds 
of  land  in  Hollis,  made  before  1741,  are  to  be  found  the  following 
names  of  the  early  settlers  of  the  town  as  grantees,  viz.,  Thomas 
Dinsmore,  weaver,  David  Nevins,  carpenter,  and  widow  Margaret 
Nevins,  all  of  Bedfor.d,  Mass.  ;  William  Nevins,  of  Newton,  Mass., 
husbandman  ;  Jonathan  Danforth  and  Joseph  Farley,  of  Billerica  ; 
Eleazar  Flagg  and  Jonathan  Melvin,  of  Concord  ;  Enoch  Hunt  and 
James  McDonald,  of  Groton ;  Stephen  Harris,  of  Littleton,  and 
Samuel  Cumings,  of  Groton. 

Dunstable,  as  originally  chartered,  as  we  have  seen,  was  bounded 
on  the  south,  in  part,  by  the  north  line  of  Groton.  As  chartered  in 
1655,  Groton  lay  on  each  side  of  the  Nashua  River,  its  north- 
easterly corner  being  about  two  miles  east  of  that  river,  at  a  place,  . 
then  and  still  known  as  Buck  Meadow,  now  in  the  town  of  Nashua, 
about  one  half  mile  from  the  south  line  of  that  town.  The  original 
north-west  corner  of  Groton  was  in  the  line  between  the  towns  of 
Pepperell  and  Townsend,  Mass.,  about  one  mile  south  of  the  present 
south  line  of  New  Hampshire.  This  corner  is  still  marked  by  a 
stone  monument  now  standing  on  the  farm  of  Addison  Wood.  This- 
old  north  line  of  Groton  crossed  the  Nashua  river,  and  the  present 
state  line  at  a  point  very  near  the  Hollis  Depot  on  the  Worcester  & 
Nashua  Railroad. 

In  the  summer  and  fall  of  1738,  a  few  of  the  settlers  then  living^ 

in  the  north  part  of  Groton,  and  most  of  those  residing  in  the  west 

part  of  Dunstable,  became  desirous  of  being  organized  into  a   new 

township,  and  together  with  a  considerable  number  of  non-resident 

(3) 


34  SETTLEMENT    OF    WEST    DUNSTABLE.       [l73°  tO   J739 

proprietors,  these  settlers  united  in  a  petition  to  the  Massachusetts 
General  Court  for  a  township  charter.  The  reasons  for  this  appli- 
cation for  a  township  charter  are  very  clearly  and  pertinently  set 
forth  in  the  following  petitions,  the  originals  of  which,  with  the 
doings  of  the  General  Court  in  respect  to  them,  have  been  preserved 
in  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  State  at  Boston. 

PETITION    OF   THE    INHABITANTS    OF    DUNSTABLE    AND    GROTON   FOR 
A    TOWN    CHARTER. 

"To  his  Excellency  Jona  Belcher,  Esq.,  Captain  General  and 
Governor  in  chief,  &c.  ;  The  Honble  the  Council  and  House  of 
ReptiveB  in  General  Court  Assembled,  at  Boston,  Nov.  the  29th, 
1738. 

"The  Petition  of  the  subscribers,  Inhabitants  and  Proprietors  of 
the  Towns  of  Dunstable  and  Groton,  Humbly  Sheweth, 

"  That  your  Petitioners  are  situated,  in  the  westerly  side  of  Dun- 
stable  Township,  and  the  northerly  side  of  Groton  Township  — 
those  in  the  Township  of  Dunstable,  in  general,  their  Houses  are 
nine  or  ten  miles  from  Dunstable  Meeting  Ho.use,  and  those  in  the 
Township  of  Groton,  none  but  what  lives  at  least  on  or  near  six 
miles  from  Groton  Meeting  House — by  which  means  your  Petition- 
ers are  deprived  of  the  benefit  of  preaching  the  greater  part  of  the 
year,  nor  is  it  possible  at  any  season  of  the  year  for  their  families  in 
general  to  get  to  meeting ;  under  which  Disadvantages  your  Peti- 
tioners have  this  several  years  Labored,  excepting  the  Winter  Sea- 
son for  the  two  Winters  past,  in  which  they  have  at  their  own  cost 
and  charges  hired  Preaching  amongst  themselves,  which  Disadvan- 
tages has  very  much  prevented  Peoples  settling  Land  there. 

"  That  there  is  a  Tract  of  good  Land  well  situated  for  a  Town- 
ship of  the  Contents  of  about  six  miles  and  a  half  square,  bounded 
thus,  beginning  at  Dunstable  Line  by  Nashaway  River,  so  running 
by  the  Westerly  side  of  said  River,  Southerly  one  mile  in  Gro- 
ton Land ;  then  running  Westerly,  a  parallel  Line  with  Groton 
North  Line  till  it  comes  to  Townsend  Line  ;  and  then  turning  and 
running  North  to  Groton  North-west  Corner,  and  from  Groton 
North-west  Corner  by  Townsend  Line  and  by  the  Line  of  Groton 
New  Grant  till  it  comes  to  be  five  miles  and  a  half  to  the  North 
Wrard  of  Groton  North  Line ;  from  thence  due  East  seven  miles ; 
from  thence  South  to  Nashua  River,  and  so  by  Nashua  River, 
South-westerly  to  Groton  Line,  the  first  mentioned  bound.  Which 


1738]  FIRST    PETITION   FOR   A   TOWN-CHARTER.  35 

described  Lands  can  by  no  means  be  prejudicial  to  the  Town  of 
Dunstable  or  Groton,  (it  not  coming  within  six  miles  or  thereabouts 
of  either  of  their  Meeting  Houses  at  the  nearest  place)  to  be  taken 
off  from  them  and  erected  into  a  seperate  Township. 

' '  That  there  is  already  settled  in  the  bounds  of  the  afore  described 
Tract,  near  Forty  Families,  and  many  more  ready  to  come  on  were 
it  not  for  the  difficulties  and  hardships  aforesaid  of  getting  to  Meet- 
ing. These  with  many  other  Disadvantages  we  find  very  trouble- 
some to  us,  our  Living  so  remote  from  the  Towns  we  respectively 
belong  to. 

"  Wherefore  your  Petitioners  most  humbly  pray  that  .your  Ex- 
cellency and  Honors  would  take  the  premises  into  your  consideration 
and  make  an  Act  for  the  Erecting  the  aforesaid  Lands  into  a  sep- 
erate and  distinct  Township,  with  the  Powers,  Privileges  and  Im- 
munities of  a  distinct  and  seperate  Township  under  such  restrictions 
and  Limitations,  as  you  in  your  great  Wisdom  shall  see  meet. 

"And  whereas  it  will  be  a  great  benefit  and  advantage  to  the  non- 
resident proprietors  owning  Lands  there,  by  increasing  the  value  of 
their  Lands  or  rendering  Easy  settling  the  same,  your  Pet™  also  pray 
that  they  may  be  at  their  proportionable  part  according  to  their  re- 
spective interest  in  Lands  there  for  the  building  a  meeting  house  and 
settling  a  minister  and  so  much  towards  Constant  Preaching,  as  in 
your  Wisdom  shall  be  thought  proper. 

SETTLERS   ON   THE   AFORESAID    LANDS. 

/ 

"  OBADIAH  PARKER  PETER  POWERS  PHILIP  WOOLERICH 

JOSIAH  BLOOD  ABRA'M  TAYLOR.  Jun  NATH'L  BLOOD 

JERAHMAEL  CUMINGS  BENJ.  FARLEY  WILLIAM  ADAMS 

EBEN'R  PEARCE  HENRY  BARTON  JOSEPH  TAYLOR 

WILLIAM  COLBURN  PETER  WHEELER  MOSES  PROCTOR 

STEPHEN  HARRIS  ROBERT  COLBURN  WILL'M  SHATTUCK 

THOMAS  DINSMORE  DAVID  NEVINS  THOS.  NEVINS. 

NON-RESIDENT    PROPRIETORS. 

SAMUEL  BROWNE  JOSEPH  EATON  JOHN  MALVIN 

W.  BROWNE  JOSEPH  LEMMON  JONA.  MALVIN 

JOSEPH  BLANCHARD  JEREMIAH  BALDWIN  JAMES  CUMINGS 

JOHN  FowLEjun  SAM'L  BALDWIN  ISAAC  FARWELL  . 

NATH'L  SALTONSTALL  DANIEL  REMANT  EBEN'R  PROCTOR." 

ORDER  OF  THE  GENERAL  COURT. 

"In  the  House  of  Representatives  Decr  12,  1738. 
Read  and  ordered  that  the  Petitioners  serve  the  Towns  of  Groton 
and  Dunstable  with  Coppys  of  this  Petition. 


36  SECOND    PETITION   FOR  A    CHARTER.  [X739 

"In  Council  January  4th  1738-9. 

Read  and  again  ordered  that  the  further  consideration  of  this  Pe- 
tition be  referred  to  the  first  Tuesday  of  the  next  May  session,  and 
that  James  Minot  and  John  Hobson  Esq™,  with  such  as  the  Hon- 
orable Board  shall  joine  be  a  Committee  at  the  charge  of  the  Peti- 
tioners to  repair  to  the  Lands  petitioned  to  be  Erected  into  a  Town- 
ship, first  giving  seasonable  notice  as  well  to  the  Petitioners  as  to  the 
Inhabitants  and  non-resident  Proprietors  of  Lands  within  the  said 
Towns  of  Dunstable  and  Groton  of  the  time  of  their  going  by  caus- 
ing the  same  to  be  published  in  the  Boston  Gazette  :  That  they  care- 
fully view  the  s.d  Lands,  as  well  as  the  other  parts  of  the  s.d  Towns 
so  far  as  may  be  desired  by  the  Partys  or  thought  proper  ;  That  the 
Petitioners,  and  all  others  concerned  be  fully  heard  in  their  Pleas  and 
allegations  for  as  well  as  against  the  Prayer  of  the  Petition  ;  and  that 
upon  mature  consideration  on  the-  whole  the  committee  then  report 
what  in  their  opinion  may  be  proper  for  the  Court  to  do  in  answer 
thereto.  Sent  up  for  concurrence. 

J.  QUINCY,  Speaker. 
In  Council  Jan*  9th  1738-9. 

Read  and  concurred,  and  Thomas  Berry  Esqr 
is  joined  in  the  affair. 

SIMON  FROST  Depty  Secry. 

Consented  to.  J.  BELCHER." 

A  very  large  majority  of  the  settlers  whose  names  appear  on  the 
above  Petition  lived  in  the  west  part  of  Dunstable.  Many  of  the 
settlers  residing  at  the  time  in  the  north  part  of  Groton  were  not 
satisfied  with  this  Petition,  but  wanted  a  much  larger  part  of  the 
new  township  to  be  taken  from  Groton  than  was  contemplated  by 
the  signers  of  this  first  Petition.  With  this  purpose  in  view  these 
settlers  in  Groton,  with  such  of  the  residents  of  the  west  part  of 
Dunstable  as  were  willing  to  join  with  them,  presented  a  second 
Petition  to  the  General  Court  for  a  township  to  be  formed  from  the 
two  towns.  This  second  Petition  bearing  date  Dec.  12,  1739,  was  as 
follows : 

To  his  Excellency  Jonathan  Belcher,  Esq.,  Captain  General  and 
Governor-in-Chief,  &c,  &c. 

"  The  Petition  of  Richard  Warner  and  others,  Inhabitants  of  the  Towns  of  Groton  and 
Dunstable,  most  humbly  sheweth : 

"  That  your  Petitioners  dwell  very  far  from  the  place  of  Public  Worship  in  either  of  said 
Towns  —  many  of  them  eight  miles  distant;  and  some  more,  and  none  less  than  four  miles; 
whereof  your  Petitioners  are  put  to  great  Difficulties  in  Travelling  on  the  Lord's  Day  with  on 


REMONSTRANCE   AGAINST   THE    SECOND    PETITION.  37 

Families.  Your  Petitioners  therefore  pray  your  Excellency  and  Honors  to  take  their  circum 
stances  into  your  wise  and  compassionate  consideration,  and  that  a  part  of  the  Town  of  Gro- 
ton, —  Beginning  at  the  Line  between  Groton  and  Dunstable,  where  it  crosses  Lancaster  (Nash- 
ua) River,  and  so  up  the  said  River  until  it  comes  to  a  place  called  and  known  by  the  name  of 
Joseph  Blood's  Ford  Way  on  said  River — thence  a  West  Point  till  it  comes  to  Townsend  Line, 
&c.,  with  such  a  part  and  so  much  of  the  Town  of  Dunstable,  as  this  Honorable  Court  in  their 
great  Wisdom  shall  think  proper,  with  the  Inhabitants  thereon,  may  be  Erected  into  a  separate 
and  distinct  Township,  that  so  they  may  attend  the  Public  worship  of  God  with  more  Ease  than 
at  present  they  can  by  reason  of  the  great  distance  they  live  from  the  places  thereof  as  aforesaid. 
And  your  Petitioners  as  in  Duty  bound  Shall  Ever  Pray,  &c. 

INHABITANTS    OF   GROTON. 

RICHARD  WARNER,  EBENEZER  PIERCE,  WILLIAM  BLOOD, 

BENJAMIN  SWALLOW,  SAMUEL  FISK,  JEREMIAH  LAWRENCE, 

WILLIAM  ALLEN,  JOHN  GREENE,  STEPHEN  EAMBS. 

ISAAC  WILLIAMS,  JOSIAH  TUCKER, 

EBENEZER  GILSON,  ZECHARIAH  LAWRENCE,  JUN., 

INHABITANTS   OF   DUNSTABLE. 

ENOCH  HUNT,  GIDEON  HONEY,  SAMUEL  FARLEY, 

ELEAZER  FLAGG,  JOSIAH  BLOOD,  WILLIAM  ADAMS, 

SAMUEL  CUMINGS,  SAMUEL  PARKER,  PHILIP  WOOLERICH, 
WILLIAM  BLANCHARD, 

Shortly  after  the  presentation  of  this  second  Petition  most  of  the 
settlers  in  Dunstable  united  in  a  Remonstrance  against  any  part  of 
Dunstable  being  set  to  Groton,  and  appointed  Abraham  Taylor,  Jun., 
and  Peter  Powers  to  show  forth  their  "earnest  desire  that  a  Town- 
ship be  made  entirely  of  Dunstable  Land." 

This  Remonstrance  was  dated  at  Dunstable,  Dec.  21,  1739,  and 
was  as  follows : 

"  We  the  Sub'rs  Inhab'ts  of  ye  Town  of  Dunstable,  and  resident  in  that  part  of  it  called  Nis- 
sitisitt,  Do  hereby  Authorize  and  fully  Empower  Abraham  Taylor,  Jun.,  and  Peter  Powers  to 
represent  to  the  General  Court  our  unwillingness  that  any  part  of  Dunstable  should  be  sett  to 
Groton  to  make  a  Township  or  Parish  and  to  shew  forth  our  Earnest  Desire  that  a  Township  be 
made  entirely  out  of  Dunstable  Land,  Extending  Six  Miles  North  from  Groton  Line  which 
will  bring  them  on  the  Line  on  ye  Brake  of  Land  and  just  include  the  present  settlement;  or 
otherwise  as  ye  Honorable  Committee  Reported,  and  Agreeable  to  the  tenour  thereof,  as  the 
Honorable  Court  shall  see  meet,  and  as  in  Duty  bound,  &c. 

THOMAS  DINSMORE,  JAMES  WHITING,  PETER  WHEELER, 

JERAHMAEL  CUMINGS,  JAMES  MCDANIELS,  DAVID  NEVINS, 

JOSEPH  WHITCOMB,  RANDALL  MCDANIELS,  THOMAS  NEVINS, 

JONATHAN  MELVIN,  JOSEPH  MCDANIELS,  NATHANIEL  BLOOD, 

WILLIAM  ADAMS,  WILLIAM  COLBURN,  WILLIAM  SHATTUCK, 

WILLIAM  WILSON,  ROBERT  COLBURN,  JOSHUA  WRIGHT, 

MOSES  PROCTOR,  STEPHEN  HARRIS,  HENRY  BARTON." 

REPORT  OF  THE  COMMITTEE  APPOINTED  BY  THE  GENERAL  COURT. 

"  The  committee  appointed  on  the  petition  of  the  inhabitants  and  proprietors  situated  on  the 
westerly  side  of  Dunstable  and  northerly  side  of  Groton,  after  notifying  all  parties,  having 
repaired  to  the  lands  petitioned  to  be  erected  into  a  township  and  carefully  viewed  the  same, 
find  a  very  good  tract  of  land  in  Dunstable,  west  of  Nashaway  river,  between  said  river  and 
Souhegan  river,  extending  from  Groton  New  Grant  and  Townsend  line  six  miles  east  lying  in 


38  WEST   DUNSTABLE   CHARTER.  [I739V 

a  very  commodious  form  for  a  township,  and  on  said  lands  there  is  now  about  twenty  families 
and  many  more  settling.  That  none  of  the  inhabitants  live  nearer  to  a  meeting-house  thani 
seven  miles,  and  if  they  go  to  their  town  have  to  pass  over  a  ferry  the  greater  part  of  the  year. 

We  also  find  in  Groton  a  sufficient  quantity  of  land  accommodable  for  settlement,  and  a 
considerable  number  of  Inhabitants  thereon,  that  in  some  short  time,  when  they  are  well  agreed, 
may  be'erected  into  a  Precinct  or  Parish,  and  that  it  will  be  very  inconvenient  to  erect  a  township^ 
in  the  form  prayed  for.  *  * 

The  committee  are  of  opinion  that  the  Petitioners  in  Dunstable  are  under  such  circumustances 
as  necessitates  them  to  ask  relief  which  will  be  fully  obtained  by  their  being  made  a 
township.  *  * 

The  committee  are  further  of  the  opinion  that  it  will  be  greatly  for  the  good  and  interest  of  the 
township  that  the  non-resident  proprietors  have  liberty  of  voting  with  the  inhabitants  as  to  the 
Building  and  Placing  a  meeting-house  and  that  the  lands  be  equally  taxed,  and  that  for  the  sup- 
port of  the  Gospel  ministry  among  them  the  lands  of  the  non-resident  Proprietors  be  taxed  at 
two  pence  per  acre  for  the  space  of  five  years. 

All  which  is  humbly  submitted  in  behalf  of  the  committee. 

THOMAS  BERRY." 

ACTION  OF  THE  GENERAL  COURT  UPON  THE  REPORT  OF  THE 

COMMITTEE. 

"In    Council    Dec.    27,    1739. 

Read  and  ordered  that  this  report  be  so  far  accepted  that  the  lands  mentioned  and  described 
therein  with  the  inhabitants  there  be  erected  into  a  separate  and  distinct  Precinct  and  the  said 
inhabitants  are  hereby  vested  with  all  such  powers  and  privileges  as  any  other  Precinct  in  this 
Province  have  or  by  law  ought  to  have  or  enjoy.  And  they  are  also  empowered  to  assess  and 
lay  a  tax  of  two  pence  per  acre  per  annum  for  the  space  of  five  years  on  all  the  unimproved 
lands  belonging  to  the  non-resident  proprietors  to  be  applied  to  the  support  of  the  ministry 
according  to  the  said  Report. 

Sent  down  for  concurrence. 

SIMON  FROST,  Dep'ty  Sec'ty. 

In  the  House  of  Representatives,  Dec.  28,  1739 

Read  and  concurred.  J    QUINCY,  Speaker. 

Consented  to.  J.  BELCHER,      " 

Such  at  that  day  was  the  mode  of  proceeding,  and  such  the  condi- 
tions under  which  townships  and  precincts  or  parishes  were  char- 
tered by  the  General  Court  of  Massachusetts.  A  parish  was  an 
•ecclesiastical  division  of  a  township,  vested  with  the  power,  (by  the 
taxation  of  its  inhabitants)  and  charged  with  the  duty  of  building  a 
meeting-house,  and  maintaining  a  "  learned  and  orthodox  minister." 
By  the  foregoing  act  of  the  General  Court,  that  part  of  the  old  town 
of  Dunstable,  described  in  the  report  of  the  committee,  became  a 
parish,  known  for  some  years  afterwards  as  West  Dunstable.  For 
all  municipal  purposes,  other  than  ecclesiastical,  it  still  remained  a 
part  of  the  old  town.  The  new  parish  was  bounded  on  the  north  by 
the  Souhegan  river,  on  the  south  by  Groton,  and  west  by  the  west 
line  of  the  old  town.  On  the  east  it  was  bounded  in  part  by  the 
Nashua  river,  and  in  part  by  a  north  and  south  line  extending  from 
that  river  to  the  Souhegan  somewhat  farther  to  the  east  than  the 
present  east  line  of  Hollis,  and  in  the  records  of  the  proceedings 


1739]  SETTLERS    IN   WEST    DUNSTABLE    IN    1739.  39 

had  some  years  afterwards,  before  the  Governor  and  Council  of 
New  Hampshire  for  a  change  of  the  eastern  boundary  of  Hollis, 
the  parish  of  West  Dunstable  is  said  to  have  contained  an  area 
of  70,000  acres. 

At  the  date  of  the  charter  the  rude,  primitive  dwellings  of  the 
settlers  who  had  petitioned  for  it  with  their  stump-covered  embryo 
farms  were  widely  and  sparsely  scattered  over  a  large  part  of  the 
new  parish.  Robert  and  William  Colburn,  David,  Thomas  and 
William  Nevins,  Stephen  Harris  and  Philip  Woolerich  had  located  on 
the  south  side  of  the  extinct  town  of  Monson,  now  the  north  part 
of  Hollis ;  Samuel  Farley,  James,  Joseph  and  Randall  McDaniels, 
Melvin  and  Whitcomb,  in  the  easterly  part  of  Brookline,  formerly 
the  west  part  of  Hollis.  The  house  of  Abraham  Taylor  was  about 
60  rods  north  of  the  present  meeting-house  in  Hollis,  on  land  now 
owned  by  Henry  Blood ;  that  of  Samuel  Cumings  about  30  rods 
west  of  the  meeting-house  on  the  place  now  owned  by  Levi  Abbot ; 
that  of  Benjamin  Farley,  the  inn-keeper,  on  the  road  leading  to  the 
south  of  the  meeting-house,  being  a  part  of  the  same  house  now 
owned  by  Taylor  G.  Worcester ;  Jerahmael  Cumings  lived  on  the 
same  road,  with  Farley,  about  1-2  mile  farther  south ;  Josiah  Blood, 
also  on  the  same  road,  about  3-4  of  a  mile  from  Cumings,  now 
known  as  the  Fox  place ;  Joshua  Wright  about  1-2  mile  east  of 
Blood  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  the  heirs  of  his  grandson,  Miles  J. 
Wright ;  William  Blanchard  in  the  east  part  of  the  town,  near 
Flint's  hill ;  William  Shattuck  still  farther  east,  near  the  old  east 
school-house. 

The  farm  of  Peter  Wheeler  was  in  the  north-west  part  of  the  town, 
about  westerly  from  Long  pond  ;  Moses  Proctor  settled  in  the  west 
part,  on  Proctor  hill.  Henry  Barton  in  the  westerly  part,  on  land 
now  owned  by  John  C.  Jewett.  The  house  of  William  Adams  is 
said  to  have  been  upon  the  site  of  the  present  south-west  school- 
house,  about  21-2  miles  from  the  meeting-house.  Samuel  Parker 
lived  in  the  same  neighborhood  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  Daniel  M. 
Smith ;  James  Whiting  on  the  road  to  Brookline,  near  Whiting's 
hill ;  Nathaniel  Blood  in  the  same  part  of  the  town  on  the  present  farm 
of  Franklin  Colburn,  and  Enoch  Hunt  in  the  extreme  south  part,  next 
to  Pepperell,  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  Luke  Blood.  Thus  it  may 
be  seen  that  the  settlers  in  the  extreme  north  part  of  the  settlement 
were  from  six  to  seven  miles  distant  from  those  in  the  south  part ; 
and  those  living  at  the  extreme  east  and  west  part  were  even  more 
remote  from  each  other. 


4°  PARISH    OF   WEST    DUNSTABLE.  [l739  to  1746 


CHAPTER   III. 

1739    TO    1746. — THE  PARISH  OF  WEST  DUNSTABLE  AND  DISTRICT  OF 
DUNSTABLE. —  FIRST      PARISH     MEETING,      AND     FIRST     MEETING 

HOUSE.  —  THE      NON-RESIDENT      TAX. SETTLEMENT      OF       THE 

FIRST    MINISTER. 

The  report  of  the  committee  appointed  to  view  the  lands  in  the 
north  part  of  Groton  and  west  part  of  Dunstable '  was  carefully 
preserved  by  the  grantees  of  the  charter  of  the  parish  of  West 
Dunstable,  and  is  now  to  be  found  recorded  at  full  length  on  the  first 
pages  of  the  first  volume  of  the  Hollis  town  records. 

These  original  records,  in  what  I  have  to  say  of  the  early  history 
of  Hollis,  will  be  my  principal  guide.  Where  I  can  consistently  do 
so,  I  shall  press  them  into  my  service  and  let  them  speak  for  me  in 
their  own  simple  and  homely  dialect.  We  may  occasionally  observe 
in  the  manuscript,  wide,  and  sometimes  grotesque  departures  from 
the  more  modern  orthography  of  Walker,  Webster  and  Worcester, 
and  also  from  the  grammar  and  syntax  of  Lowth  and  Murray.  Yet 
in  these  respects,  they  are  less  subject  to  unfavorable  criticism  than 
many  of  our  town  records  of  a  much  more  modern  date.  The  style 
of  them  is  terse,  plain,  simple  and  direct,  and  the  words  well  chosen 
to  express  the  ideas  and  matters  to  be  recorded,  and  they  contain  the 
municipal  autobiography  of  our  ancestors,  commencing  four  genera- 
tions ago,  written  down  from  year  to  year,  and  sometimes  from 
month  to  month,  by  persons  appointed  for  the  purpose,  while  what 
they  had  done,  or  what  they  at  the  time  proposed  to  do,  was  still 
fresh  in  the  minds  of  all. 

BOUNDARIES   AND     AREA   OF   THE    PARISH    AND    THE    NON-RESIDENT 

TAX. 

The  west  parish  of  the  old  town  of  Dunstable,  as  we  have  seen, 
extended  north  and  south,  from  the  Souhegan  river  to  the  south  line 
of  the  old  town,  a  distance  from  9  to  12  miles,  and  was  not  far  from 
10  miles  in  width,  and  was  said  to  have  contained  an  area  of  about 


1739  to  X74^]  PARISH    OF   WEST    DUNSTABLE.  4! 

70,000  acres,  being  more  than  three  times  as  large  as  Hollis  now  is. 
It  included  nearly  all  of  the  present  town  of  Hollis,  that  part  of 
Amherst  south  of  the  Souhegan,  the  most  of  Milford  and  Brookline, 
parts  of  the  towns  of  Nashua  and  Merrimack,  in  the  state  of  New 
Hampshire,  and  a  small  part  of  Pepperell  in  Massachusetts.  The 
inhabitants  of  the  parish,  as  we  have  seen  by  their  charter,  had 
authority  to  assess  2d.  per  acre  on  all  the  unimproved  land  of  non- 
residents for  the  term  of  five  years  for  the  support  of  the  ministry. 
At  that  time  there  were  about  25  resident  families.  If  each  of  these 
families  owned,  on  an  average,  800  acres  (an  estimate  quite  large 
enough) ,  the  resident  settlers  would  have  had  20,000  acres,  leaving 
upon  these  estimates  50,000  to  the  non-residents.  A  tax  of  2d.  the 
acre  on  this  last  quantity  would  have  yielded  an  annual  fund  of 
£416  133.,  or  about  $1380  in  the  currency  of  the  present  time,  calling 
the  pound  $3.33.  We  shall  soon  see  what  importance  the  first  set- 
tlers of  Hollis  attached  to  this  right  to  compel  non-residents  to  pay 
for  the  preaching  and  meeting-houses  of  the  resident  settlers. 

THE    FIRST      PARISH    MEETING    AND    ITS    DOINGS,     AND    THE     FIRST 

MEETING-HOUSE. 

The  first  parish-meeting,  under  the  parish-charter,  was  held  at 
the  inn  of  Lieut.  Benjamin  Farley,  Jan.  22,  1739-40,  O.  S.  Mr. 
Farley's  inn  was  the  place  where  the  parish-meetings  were  com- 
monly held  till  the  first  meeting-house  was  built,  and  is  said  to  have 
been  upon  the  farm  now  owned  by  Taylor  G.  Worcester,  a  short 
distance  south  of  the  present  meeting-house.  The  warrant  for  this 
meeting,  like  all  similar  warrants,  was  entitled,  in  its  margin, 
"Middlesex  SS.,"  meaning  by  these  words,  county  of  Middlesex, 
Massachusetts.  It  was  under  the  hand  and  seal  of  Joseph 
Blanchard,  Esq.,  of  Dunstable,  at  that  time  one  of  "  his  majesty's'' 
justices  of  the  peace  of  that  county,  and  was  addressed  to  Abraham 
Taylor,  as  constable,  to  warn  the  meeting,  who  had  been  active  in 
obtaining  the  charter,  and  who  was  annually  elected  parish-clerk  till 
his  death,  about  four  years  after. 

At  this  first  meeting  Mr.  Taylor  was  elected  moderator  and  clerk ; 
Mr.  Taylor,  Peter  Powers  and  Benjamin  Farley,  assessors  ;  Stephen 
Harris,  treasurer ;  Thomas  Dinsmore,  collector  of  the  non-resident 
money ;  and  Peter  Powers  and  Benjamin  Farley  a  committee  to 
procure  preaching  till  the  first  of  April  following.  Also  it  was 
"  voted  that  Abraham  Taylor,  Peter  Powers  and  Thomas  Dinsmore 
be  a  committee  to  joyn  with  such  Persons  as  the  old  Parish  shall 
appoint  for  to  raise  Bounds  between  each  Parish."  At  this  meeting 


42  PARISH    OF   WEST    DUNSTABLE.  [J739  to  1746 

also  the  following  vote  was  passed  in  respect  to  a  meeting-house ; 
"Voted  to  build  a  House  for  the  Public  Worship  of  God:  That 
said  House  be  Erected  at  or  near  Thomas  Dinsmore's  House  Lot  of 
Land.  That  the  House  be  22  feet  one  way  and  20  the  other  —  9  foot 
stud  —  well-boarded  and  shingled — One  Floor  —  One  Door — 3 
windows  and  as  many  Seats  as  may  be  thought  convenient  —  the 
House  to  be  Erected  by  the  last  of  April  next." 

The  house  lot  of  Thomas  Dinsmore,  as  was  said,  was  upon  the  farm 
now  owned  by  John  Coburn,  Esq.  But  no  meeting-house  was  built 
upon  or  near  that  site,  the  vote  to  that  effect  having  been  reconsid- 
ered at  a  meeting  in  the  following  March.  After  four  or  five  other 
sites  had  been  proposed  at  various  meetings  and  rejected,  it  was  at 
last,  at  a  meeting  held  Nov.  5,  1740:  "Voted  that  the  Meeting- 
House  should  be  Erected  on  Abraham  Taylor's  Land,  about  Sixty 
Rods  Southerly  from  said  Taylor's  Dwelling-House,  on  the  highest 
Knoll  of  Land  thereabouts,  and  that  the  Burying  Place  for  the  Par- 
ish be'ajoining  the  Place  now  appointed  for  ye  Meeting-House." 

This  is  the  same  pleasant  and  hallowed  spot  on  which,  a  few 
years  later,  the  second  meeting-house  was  built,  the  same  where  the 
third,  still  standing,  was  erected  more  than  sixty  years  after,  the  site 
for  it  and  the  burial-ground  having  been  given  by  Mr.  Taylor,  who 
died  in  the  spring  of  1743,  and  was  the  first  adult  person  buried  in 
it.  It  appears  that  the  new  edifice  was  not  wholly  completed  for  a 
year  or  more  after  its  location  was  fixed,  as  we  find  that  it  was  voted 
at  a  parish-meeting,  Oct.  23,  1741,  "  To  have  one  Glace  Winder  in 
the  Meeting-House  and  to  have  it  under-Pind  as  soon  as  possable." 

THE    FIRST    PARISH   TAX,    WITH    THE    NAMES    OF   THE  TAX-PAYERS. 

In  the  month  of  November,  174°?  by  vote  of  a  parish  meeting,  the 
first  tax  was  assessed  upon  the  inhabitants  "  for  defraying  the  ne- 
cessary charges  of  the  Parish,"  amounting  to  £16  2s.  2d.  This  tax 
list  contains  the  names  of  29  persons,  viz. : 

ZACHARIAH  LAWRENCE,  Jr.      JOSIAH  BLOOD  NATHANIEL  BLOOD 

ENOCH  HUNT  PETER  POWERS  PHILIP  WOOLERICH 

ELEAZER  FLAGG  BENJAMIN  FARLEY  MOSES  PROCTOR 

SAMUEL  CUMINGS  JERAHMAEL  CUMINGS  JOHN  BUTTERFIELD 

WILLIAM  BLANCHARD  SAMUEL  FARLEY  ELNATHAN  BLOOD 

ABRAHAM  TAYLOR  DAVID  NEVINS  HENRY  BARTON 

STEPHEN  HARRIS  WILLIAM  NEVINS  THOMAS  DINSMORE 

WILLIAM  COLBURN  Widow  NEVINS  AMOS  PHILIPS 

ROBERT  COLBURN"  WILLIAM  SHATTUCK  GIDEON  BEHONEY, 

PETER  WHEELER  DANIEL  KENDALL 

nearly  all  of  them  family  names,  familiar  to  the   people  of  Hollis 
from  that  time  to  this. 


1739  to  I74^>]  PARISH    OF   WEST    DUNSTABLE.  43 

By  a  province  law,  then  in  force,  all  male  persons  of  the  age  of 
eighteen  years  and  over,  with  the  exception  of  the  governor,  settled 
ministers,  and  a  few  others,  were  subject  to  a  poll-tax.  The  above 
tax-list  may  be  presumed  to  contain  the  names  of  all  male  persons 
above  that  age  at  that  time  inhabitants  of  the  parish.  Six  of  the  list 
are  charged  with  a  poll-tax  only ;  the  remaining  twenty-three,  in- 
cluding the  widow  Nevins,  with  both  a  poll  and  property-tax.  Of 
the  above  tax  of  about  £16,  very  near  £13,  or  more  than  three- 
fourths  of  it,  were  assessed  on  twenty-eight  persons  as  a  poll-tax, 
and  less  than  £3  upon  real  and  personal  estate.  The  sum  assessed 
upon  each  poll  was  95.  2d.,  while  the  highest  property-tax  was  only 
6s.  yd.  I  may  have  occasion,  in  another  connection,  to  advert  again 
to  this  matter  of  taxation. 

THE  NON-RESIDENT'S  MONEY,  OR  NON-RESIDENT  TAX  OF  20.   THE 
ACRE  AND  THE  DISPOSAL  OF  IT. 

As  this  tax ,  was  a  matter  of  much  interest  and  some  trouble  to  the 
residents  of  the  parish,  it  is  entitled  to  further  notice  as  illustrating 
the  laws  and  usages  of  the  good  people  of  that  time,  and  especially 
the  ways  and  means  which  were  supposed  to  be  lawful  and  right  for 
the  raising  of  money  for  the  support  of  "learned,  able  and  orthodox" 
ministers. 

The  warrant  for  the  third  parish-meeting,  held  in  March,  1740, 
with  other  articles  to  be  voted  on,  contained  the  following  : 

i  st.  "To  see  what  Encouragement  the  People  will  give  to  any 
Person  or  Persons  for  Killing  Rattlesnakes  in  this  parish. 

2d.  "To  see  if  the  Parish  will  agree  to  dispose  of  the  Non- Resi- 
dent money  that  shall  be  due  and  coming  to  this  Parish  for  the  space 
of  five  years  from  the  first  of  January  last  to  any  Person  or  Persons 
who  shall  agree  to  Support  the  Gospel  in  this  Parish. " 

At  the  above  meeting  it  was  voted : 

i  st.  "That  if  any  Person  shall  make  it  appear  to  the-  Committee 
of  the  Parish  that  he  has  Killed  one  or  more  Rattlesnakes  in  this 
Precinct,  in  this  present  year,  he  shall  have  paid  to  him  one  shilling 
for  every  such  snake  so  killed,  out  of  the  Parish  Treasury.  " 

Also  unanimously  voted,  "That  Peter  Powers  &  Abraham  Taylor 
shall  have  the  Total  of  all  such  sum  or  sums  of  money  as  is  or  shall 
be  assessed  on  Land  belonging  to  non-Resident  Proprietors  of  this 
Parish  for  the  space  of  five  years  from  the  i  st  of  January  last,  on 
condition  that  the  said  Powers  and  Taylor  shall  &  do  oblige  them- 


44  PARISH    OF   WEST    DUNSTABLE.  [J739  to    17^ 

selves  &  Heirs  with  sufficient  security  to  maintain  and  constantly 
support  Preaching  in  this  Precinct  for  ye  full  term  of  ye  said  five 

years and  Erect  a  Meeting  House  for  the  Public  Worship  of  God 

agreeable  to  the  tenor  of  the  vote  of  said  parish and  likewise  fully 

acquit  and  discharge  said  Parish  from  the  cost  &  charges  that  have 
been  expended  in  being  set  off  from  Dunstable  &  being  erected  into 
a  separate  Precinct —  and  also  from  the  cost  and  &  charges  that  has 
been  expended  in  getting  Timber  for  a  Bridge  across  Nashaway 
River,  and  also  to  pay  Mr.  Underwood  for  his  Preaching  with  us  in 
this  Parish. " 

The  question  was  once  asked,  "Of  whom  do  the  Kings  of  the 
Earth  take  custom  or  tribute,  of  their  own  children  or  of  strangers  ?" 
The  answer  was,  "Of  strangers.  "  It  would  seem  from  the  doings 
of  the  above  meeting  that  the  early  settlers  of  the  west  parish  of  Dun- 
stable  had  taken  lessons  in  finance  from  the  "Kings  of  the  Earth." 

Within  about  a  year  from  the  time  of  this  meeting,  after  a  long 
and  angry  controversy,  the  new  province  line  between  New-Hamp- 
shire and  Massachusetts  was  surveyed  and  established  where  the 
State  line  now  is.  Much  to  the  chagrin  and  disappointment  of  the 
inhabitants,  that  part  of  the  old  town  of  Dunstable  now  known  as 
Hollis,  was  found  to  be  in  New-Hampshire.  In  consequence  of  this 
decision,  the  charter  of  the  west  parish  in  Dunstable,  granted  by  the 
general  court  of  Massachusetts,  was  virtually  annulled,  that  general 
court  having  had  at  the  time  no  power  to  grant  it.  With  the  charter 
the  legal  right  to  assess  this  tax  of  two  pence  the  acre  on  the  land  of 
non-residents  was  also  lost,  and  with  the  tax  the  very  thrifty  bargain 
with  Messrs.  Powers  and  Taylor  in  respect  to  the  disposal  of  it. 

In  this  dilemma,  the  inhabitants  promptly  met  (Feb.  19,  1741-2,) 
and  "voted  to  petition  the  Grate  and  General  Court  of  N.  Hampshire 
that  the  Parish  be  made  a  Township,  and  also  that  the  Parish  may 
have  power  to  collect  of  delinquent  persons,  the  several  sums  they 
may  have  been  assessed  at  agreeable  to  the  Laws  of  the  Massachusetts 
Province." 

But  instead  of  granting  this  petition  for  a  township-charter  and  to 
legalize  the  non-resident  tax,  the  general  court,  in  March,  1742,  or- 
ganized all  that  part  of  old  Dunstable  north  of  the  new  province  line 
and  west  of  Merrimack  river,  into  a  "District"  for  the  collection  of 
province  taxes,  with  authority  for  that  purpose  only,  to  elect  district- 
assessors  or  selectmen,  and  a  district-clerk  and  collectors  of  taxes. 

The  first  meeting  for  the  election  of  District-officers,  was  held  under 
the  direction  of  a  committee  of  the  general  court,  probably  in  the  east 


1739  tO  :74^]  PARISH    OF   WEST    DUNSTABLE.  45 

parish,  April  23,  1742.  At  this  meeting,  Abraham  Taylor  was 
chosen  clerk ;  Abraham  Taylor,  Thomas  Harwood,  Samuel  Cum- 
ings  and  Jonathan  Lovewell  selectmen.  The  record  for  the  year 
1743  is  lost.  In  1744,  John  Boynton  was  district  clerk;  and  John 
Boynton,  Jonathan  Lovewell  and  Jerahmael  Cumings,  selectmen 
or  assessors.  In  1745,  John  Boynton  was  district  clerk;  John  Boyn- 
ton, Jonathan  Lovewell,  and  Jerahmael  Cumings  assessors  or 
selectmen. 

SETTLEMENT    OF   THE    NEW    PROVINCE    LINE. 

For  a  long  time  prior  to  the  year  1739  the  boundary  line  between 
the  provinces  of  New  Hampshire  and  Massachusetts  had  been  the 
subject  of  protracted  and  acrimonious  controversy.  About  seventy 
years  before,  Governor  Endicott  of  Massachusetts  had  caused  a  mon- 
ument to  be  fixed  three  miles  northward  of  the  junction  of  the  two 
rivers  forming  the  Merrimack  in  the  present  county  of  Belknap,  and 
Massachusetts  claimed  all  the  territory  in  the  present  state  of  New 
Hampshire  south  of  an  east  and  west  line  passing  through  that  point, 
and  also  all  within  three  miles  both  east  and  north  of  the  Merrimack. 
On  the  other  hand,  New  Hampshire  claimed  all  the  territory  lying 
north  of  a  line  running  due  east  and  west  through  a  point  within 
three  miles  of  the  Merrimack,  on  its  north  side  near  its  mouth.  At 
last  a  royal  commission  was  appointed  to  settle  this  controversy, 
which  met  for  the  purpose  at  Hampton  Falls  in  this  state  in  the  year 
1737,  the  General  Court  of  each  province  attending  the  sittings  of 
this  commission.  The  Governor  of  Massachusetts  in  his  coach,  and 
the  members  of  the  General  Court  of  that  Province  mounted  on 
horseback,  formed  themselves  into  a  procession  at  Boston,  and  marched 
in  state  to  Hampton  Falls  to  be  present  at  the  sessions  of  this  tri- 
bunal. A  description  of  this  cavalcade  has  come  down  to  us,  as  told 
'  by  a  wit  of  the  time  to  a  son  of  the  Emerald  Isle,  in  the  following 
pasquinade,  which  I  present  as  illustrating  the  customs  of  the  colo  - 
nial  governments  under  the  royal  charters. 

"  Dear  Paddy  you  ne'er  did  behold  such  a  sight, 

As  yesterday  morning  was  seen  before  night; 
You   in   all   your  born   days   saw   nor  I  didn't  neither, 

So  many  fine  horses  and  men  ride  together; 
At  the  head,  the  lower  house  trotted  two  in  a  row, 

Then  all  the  higher  house  pranced  after  the  low, 
Then  the  Governor's  coach  galloped  on  like  the  wind, 

And  the  last  that  came  foremost  were  the  troopers  behind; 
But  I  fear  it  means  no  good  to  your  neck  or  mine, 

For  they  say  'tis  to  fix  the  right  place  for  the  Lint" 


46  PARISH    OF   WEST    DUNSTABLE.  [l739  to  1746 

The  Commission  at  Hampton  Falls  did  not  agree,  and  the  ques- 
tion was  reserved  for  the  King  in  Council.  A  decision  was  finally 
made  in  the  year  1740,  fixing  the  Province  line  where  the  State  line 
now  is.  This  decision  took  from  the  Massachusetts  claim,  and  gave 
to  New  Hampshire,  not  only  all  the  disputed  tract,  but  also  a  tract 
of  territory  south  of  that  in  controversy,  fourteen  miles  in  width  and 
extending  from  the  Merrimack  River  to  the  Connecticut,  which 
New  Hampshire  had  not  before  claimed,  embracing  all  that  part  of 
old  Dunstable  north  of  the  present  State  line. 

This  was  for  Dunstable  "  the  most  unkindest  cut  of  all,"  being 
for  the  old  town  almost  as  troublesome,  not  to  say  as  fatal,  a  "  place 
for  the  line"  as  his  neck  could  have  been  for  the  Paddy,  cutting  the 
body  politic  asunder  from  side  to  side  through  its  most  tender  and 
vital  parts,  hard  by  the  ancient  meeting-house  and  burial  ground. 
This  new  line  was  run  in  1741,  leaving  in  Massachusetts  that  part  of 
the  old  town  now  in  Tyngsborough  and  Dunstable  in  that  State,  and 
a  narrow  gore  from  the  old  parish  of  West  Dunstable,  now  in  Pep- 
perell,  and  severing  from  Groton  a  small  triangular  tract  now  in  the 
south  part  of  Nashua  along  the  State  line. 

EFFECTS   OF   THE   DECISION. 

This  decision  came  upon  the  settlers  in  Dunstable,  north  of  the 
new  line,  with  mingled  surprise  and  consternation.  Dunstable  was 
eminently  and  wholly  a  Massachusetts  settlement.  The  settlers  were 
nearly  all  from  the  neighboring  towns  in  that  Province,  with  whose 
people  they  were  connected  in  sympathy,  in  business  and  by  the  ties 
of  marriage  and  blood.  Their  town  and  parish  charters  and  the 
titles  to  their  lands  and  improvements  were  all  Massachusetts  grants, 
and  their  whole  civil  and  ecclesiastical  organizations  under  Massa- 
chusetts laws.  This  decision  of  the  King  in  Council  left  them 
wholly  out  of  the  jurisdiction  of  that  Province,  and  in  legal  effect 
made  all  their  charters,  the  titles  to  their  lands  and  improvements, 
and  all  statute  laws  regulating  their  civil  and  church  polity  wholly 
void.  The  decision  of  the  King  was  final,  and  there  was  no  ap- 
peal. Though  disappointed,  embarrassed  and  indignant,  there  was 
no  alternative  but  submission. 

Fortunately  for  them,  in  the  course  of  a  few  years  afterwards  a 
compromise  was  effected  with  the  adverse  claimants  of  their  lands 
and  improvements,  and  their  titles  and  possessions  quieted,  and  they 
gradually  became  more  reconciled  to  the  change  of  their  allegiance. 


1739  t°  J74^]  PARISH    OF   WEST    DUNSTABLE.  47 

But  this  compromise  and  the  quieting  of  their  titles  to  their  lands 
and  improvements  afforded  these  people  no  relief  in  respect  to  the 
support  of  the  ministry  and  building  meeting-houses. 

Still,  however,  the  inhabitants  of  West  Dunstable  continued  to 
hold  public  meetings,  elect  officers  and  assess  taxes  much  as  before, 
and  in  the  records  of  their  doings  their  community  was  styled  a 
"  parish"  or  "  precinct."  Notwithstanding  their  disappointment  in 
the  loss  of  their  charter,  and  at  finding  themselves  citizens  of  New 
Hampshire  against  their  wishes,  they  were  not  yet  able  to  forget  the 
"Non-resident  Money,"  or  to  abandon  the  hope  of  obtaining  it. 
With  this  hope  in  view,  at  a  public  meeting  held  in  January,  1 744, 
it  was  ' '  Voted  that  Peter  Powers  should  have  all  the  non-residents' 
money  that  is  not  Collected  for  the  "four  years  past  and  the  year  to 
come,  *  *  and  for  the  said  Powers  to  pay  all  the  Parish  Debt  fdr 
Preaching  and  to  any  other  Person  for  Sarvis  Don  the  Parish  before 
the  ordination  *  *  and  to  pay  the  Parish  £40.  O.  T.  at  the  end 
of  the  year."  It  is  to  be  inferred  from  the  doings  of  a  parish  meeting 
in  the  following  December,  that  these  non-resident  land-owners  had 
questioned  the  right  of  Mr.  Powers  to  collect  this  tax,  and  that  it 
was  not  paid  so  cheerfully  as  the  purchaser  had  hoped.  As  a  last 
remedy  for  this  trouble,  it  was  voted  at  this  meeting,  "thatCapt. 
Powers  represent  the  Parish  at  the  General  Court  of  New  Hamp- 
shire to  get  ye  Massachusetts  Act  for  taxing  ye  land  in  said  Parish 
confirmed  if  he  will  go  at  his  own  charges — otherwise  not  to  go" 

The  record  does  not  show  whether  Capt.  Powers  accepted  the 
honor  of  the  office,  with  its  condition,  or  not. 

The  charter  of  Hollis  as  a  town  bore  date  April  3,  1746,  and 
embraced  a  territory  much  less  than  one-half  of  that  contained  in  the 
charter  of  West  Dunstable.  This  town  charter  was  wholly  silent  in 
respect  to  the  right  to  tax  non-residents  for  any  purpose.  To  supply 
this  omission,  at  a  town-meeting  held  on  the  22d  of  December  of  the 
same  year  it  was  "Voted  to  Raise  two  Pence  per  Acre  Lawful 
Money  on  all  the  Land  of  Hollis  for  five  years  for  ye  Support  of  y® 
Gospel  and  ye  arising  charges  of  said  Town,  and  to  Petition  the 
Grat  and  Generall  Court  for  Streangth  to  Gather  and  Get  the  Money 
of  Non-Residents."  Samuel  Cumings,  Esq.,  was  chosen  a  delegate 
to  present  this  petition,  which  he  did  in  the  following  April.  In 
answer  to  this  petition  the  general  court  of  New  Hampshire  passed 
an  act  taxing  all  the  land  in  Hollis  for  four  years  at  two  pence  the 
acre  for  the  support  of  the  ministry  and  finishing  the  second  meet- 
ing-house, the  frame  of  which  had  then  been  raised.  All  the  lands 


48  PARISH    OF    WEST    DUNSTABLE.  [J739  to  1746 

in  Hollis  were  taxed  under  this  law  for  the  next  four  years  (as  stated 
in  the  town  records),  "for  the  Building  and  Repairing  a  Meeting- 
House  and  the  Supporting  the  Gospel  Ministry."  This  tax  was 
assessed  in  the  old-tenor  currency,  £4  of  which  at  that  date  appear 
to  have  been  of  the  value  of  <£i,  lawful  or  silver  money.  In  1747 
this  tax  amounted,  in  the  old-tenor  currency,  to  £394  175.  8d.  Of 
that  sum,  £256  6s.  Sd,,  or  more  than  two-thirds  of  it,  were  assessed 
upon  33  non-resident  land-owners,  and  the  residue,  £138  us.,  on 
48  residents.  In  1748,  £506  33.  were  assessed  for  the  like  purpose, 
of  which  £350  45.  Sd.,  again  more  than  two-thirds  of  it,  were 
assessed  on  31  non-residents,  and  the  balance  on  52  residents. 
Whatever  we  may  think  of  the  justice  of  this  law,  it  seems  to  have 
had  the  good  effect  of  lessening  the  number  of  non-residents,  and  also 
the  quantity  of  land  in  Hollis  owned  by  them,  and  of  adding  to  the 
number  of  residents,  and  to  their  proportion  of  the  land.  In  1750, 
the  last  year  of  the  law,  the  resident  land-owners  had  increased  from 
48,  in  1747,  to  70.  And  the  non-residents  had  fallen  off  from  33  in 
1747,  to  24  in  1750,  and  the  amount  of  the  land-tax  paid  by  the  two 
classes  had  become  much  more  equal. 

It  seems,  however,  that  all  these  non-residents  did  not  acquiesce 
in  the  justice  of  this  law  so  cheerfully  as  they  might  have  done.  As 
an  instance  of  their  dislike  to  it,  we  find  that  in  1748  Col.  Prescotfs 
heirs  were  taxed  under  it  the  considerable  sum  of  £48  135.  4d.  for 
the  support  of  preaching  they  could  not  hear,  and  that  they  had  had 
an  article  inserted  in  the  warrant  for  the  town-meeting  asking  for  an 
abatement  of  this  tax.  In  response  to  this  petition,  as  the  record 
states  it,  "It  was  put  to  vote  to  see  if  the  Town  would  Ease  Col. 
Prescott's  Heirs  of  any  part  of  their  Land  Tax,  and  it  was  passed  in 
the  negative." 

To  me,  at  least,  as  a  native  of  the  town,  and  one  of  the  descendants 
of  these  worthy  people,  their  names  and  memories  are  sacred.  "All 
their  failings  leaned  to  virtue's  side. "  Their  ashes  have  slept  for 
near  a  century  in  peaceful  and  honored  graves,  and  the  foot  of  the 
stranger  who  knows  their  worth  would  tread  lightly  upon  them.  I 
have  made  these  extracts  from  their  annals  with  no  irreverent  or 
unfilial  feeling,  but  to  illustrate  some  of  the  differences  between  the 
laws,  customs  and  sentiments  that  prevailed  among  good  and  Chris- 
tian people  in  New-England  one  hundred  and  twenty  years  ago,  and 
those  upon  the  like  subjects  under  whose  influence  the  last  two  gen- 
reations  have  been  educated. 


J739to  1 746-]       PREACHING  FROM  1 739  TO  1743.  49 

PREACHING     BEFORE     THE     SETTLEMENT    OF     THE     FIRST    MINISTER, 
AND     THE     MANNER     OF     PROVIDING     IT. 

The  new  parish  had  no  settled  minister  till  the  spring  of  1743. — 
more  than  three  years  after  date  of  the  charter.  In  the  mean  time 
the  inhabitants  had  manifested  a  very  commendable  zeal  in  their 
efforts  to  comply  with  the  laws  in  respect  to  the  support  of  the  min- 
istry. At  their  first  parish  meeting,  as  we  have  seen,  a  committee 
was  chosen  '"to  provide  Preaching  till  the  following  April.  "  In  the 
'month  of  March  previous,  "  Samuel  Cumings  and  Eleazer  Flagg" 
were  commissioned  "to  provide  Preaching  and  Entertainment  for  the 
minister  for  the  next  three  months."  In  July,  1741,  it  was  "voted 
that  Abraham  Taylor  and  Peter  Powers  have  the  non-resident  money 
for  the  cuiTent  year  to  pay  Mr.  Underwood  and  Mr.  Towle  *  *  * 
and  to  procure  Preaching  till  the  first  of  January  next,  if  the  money 
shall  hold  out.  "  In  September,  I741-  the  first  article  in  the  warrant 
for  a  meeting  then  held,  was  *•  to  see  whether  it  be  the  minds  of  the 
People  to  do  any  thing  towards  the  Bringing  forward  the  Settling  of 
a  Larned  and  Orther  Dox  Minister  in  this  Parish."  And  in  Feb- 
ruary. 1742:  it  was  "Voted  That  any  Person  who  shall  hereafter 
Entertain  anv  Minister  for  this  Parish  shall  have  paid  to  him  Eight 
Shillings  for  one  Sabbath  day  and  2OS  a  Week  if  he  stay  longer. " 

DOINGS     OF     THE     PARISH     PREPARATORY     TO    THE    SETTLEMENT    OF 
THE    FIRST     MINISTER. 

At  a  parish  meeting  held  in  October.  1741,  before  it  was  publicly 
known  that  any  part  of  the  town  of  Old  Dunstable  was  on  the  wrong 
side  of  the  province  line,  it  was  voted. 

i st.  "That  Stephen  Harris.  Abraham  Taylor  &  Peter  Powers  be 
joyned  in  Committee  with  Benjamin  Farley  and  Samuel  Cumings  to 
take  some  proper  Measures  to  bring  forward  the  settling  of  a  Larned 
and  Orther  Dox  Minister  in  this  Parish  as  soon  as  conveniencv  will 
alow.  " 

2cl.  "  That  said  Committee  be  directed  to  observe  the  following  in- 
structions, viz..  That  they  wait  upon  the  Rev.  Mr.  Trobridge,  Mr. 
Hemmingway.  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Bliss  and  Mr.  Swan  and  desire 
their  assistance  in  keeping  and  solemnizing  a  Day  of  Fasting  and 
Prayer  in  this  Parish  and  Seeking  the  Direction  of  Heaven  in  the 
affair.  " 

3d.    ''That  said   Committee   should    make   their  Address  to  said 
Ministers  for  their  advice  and  Direction  what  Ministers  to  apply  our- 
selves too  to  Preach  with  us  on  Probation.  " 
(4) 


50  PREACHING  FROM  1739  TO  1743.      [I739t°  1746- 

At  a  parish  meeting  Dec.  28,  1741?  among  the  accounts  presented 
and  allowed  were  the  following  : 

• '  Voted  to  alow  Abraham  Taylor  — 

*•  For  Entertaining  Ministers  at  the  Fast          £3.  oos.  o'1. 

'•  For  Entertaining  Ministers  Five  Sabbaths   £2.  oo\  o'1." 

The  warrant  for  this  meeting  was  the  last  in  which  the  words 
'•  Middlesex  ss."  were  written  in  the  top  margin.  It  soon  became 
known  to  them  that  the  parish  of  West  Dunstable  was  not  in  the 
count}'  of  Middlesex,  that  their  charter,  as  a  legal  instrument,  was 
worthless,  and  that  there  was  no  law7  by  which  the  minority  of  the 
inhabitants  could  be  bound  by  the  votes  of  a  majority.  Embarrassed 
by  the  decision  in  respect  to  the  new  line  and  the  loss  of  their 
charter,  our  ancestors  did  not  falter  in  their  effort  to  bring  forward 
and  settle  a  ••  Larned  and  Orther  Dox  Minister..1'  With  this  end. 
and  others  in  view,  the  inhabitants,  as  we  have  said  before,  met  in 
February,  1742,  and  petitioned  the  General  Court  of  New  Hamp- 
shire for  a  township  charter.  No  other  public  meeting  of  the  in- 
habitants was  held  till  the  i7th  of  January.  1743. "near  a  year  after, 
when  they  came  together  by  common  consent,  and  by  mutual  agree- 
ment in  their  personal  and  individual  capacity,  invited  the  Rev. 
Daniel  Emerson,  the  candidate  of  their  choice,  to  become  their  min- 
ister. As  I  think  the  proceedings  of  this  meeting  and  of  that  which 
next  followed,  cannot  fail  to  interest  others  as  well  as  myself.  I  have 
taken  pains  to  transcribe  the  substance  of  them  from  the  record. 

THE  CALL  OF  THE  SOCIETY.  ANSWER  OF  THE  CANDIDATE.  HIS 
SETTLEMENT  AND  SALARY.  AND  THE  WAYS  AND  MEANS  OF 
PROVIDING  IT. 

"  Att  a  meeting:  of  the  Inhabitants  of.  the  West  Parish  in   Dunsta- 

O 

ble    regularly  assembled  Januarv    17.    i742-    3-     Abraham    Taylor 
chosen  moderator. 

"  Unanimously  voted   and  chose  Mr.    Daniel   Emerson   for   their' 
Gospel  Minister  to  take  the  Pastoral   care  of  the  Flock  of  Christ  in 
said  Place.     Also, 

••  Unanimously  voted  and  agreed  to  give  said  Mr.  Emerson  (on 
condition  of  his  acceptance)  for  and  toward  his  Settlement  £400. 
common  currency  or  £100  of  the  Massachusetts  last  Emition.  Also 

"  Unanimously  voted  to  give  said  Minister  for  his  yearly  Sallery. 
During  his  Ministry  in  said  Place  such  a  certain  sum  of  Bills  of  Credit 
as  will  be  equal  to  fifty  Pounds  of  the  Massachusetts  last  Emition 
(new).  Also, 


I739  t°  X74^']  SETTLEMENT    OF  MR.    EMERSON. 


"Voted  to  give  Thirty  Cords  of  Fire  Wood,  Cord  Wood  Length 
att  said  Ministers  Door  yearly,  Also, 

"Voted  and  chose  Abi'aham  Taylor,  Samuel  Brown,  Enoch 
Hunt,  Eleazer  Flagg,  Samuel  Cumings,  Peter  Powers,  William 
Colburn,  Stephen  Harris  and  Robert  Blood  to  wait  upon  said  Mr. 
Emerson  and  communicate  unto  him  the  minds  and  Proposals  of 
said  Parish  and  desire  his  answer  therein  in  convenient  time. 

"  In  testimony  whereof  we  have  hereunto  set  our  hands  the  Day 
above  said." 


SAMUEL  BROWN 
ABRAHAM  TAYLOR 
ENOCH  HUNT 
WILLIAM   SHATTUCK 
WILLIAM  COLBURN 
STEPHEN  HARRIS 
ELEAZER  FLAGG 
BENJAMIN  FARLEY 
JERAHMAEL  CUMINGS 
SAMUEL  CUMINGS 
DAVID  XEVINS 
JOSHUA  WRIGHT 
JAMES  STEWART 
STEPHEN  AMES 
ROBERT  BLOOD 


BENJ.  BLANCHARD 
ZEDEKIAH  DKU«Y 
PETER  POWERS 
JONATHAN  DANFORTH 
SAMUEL  FARLEY 
WILLIAM  ADAMS 
NICHOLAS  FRENCH 
ZERUBBABEL  KEMP 
PETER  WHEELER 
fosiAii   BROWN 
WILLIAM   BLANCHARD 
HENRY  BARTON 
NATHANIEL  BLOOD 
ELNATHAN  BLOOD 


DAVID  LOWELL 
THOMAS  NEVINS 
THOMAS  PATCH 
NATHANIEL  BLODGETT 
MOSES  PROCTOR 
JOHN   BROWN 
DANIEL  KENDALL 
JOSIAH  BLOOD 
WILLIAM  NEVINS 
SAMUEL  DOUGLASS 
JOSEPH  MCDANIELS 
JAMES  MCDANIEI.S 
JAMES  WHITING 
JOSEPH  FARLEY 
Making  in  all  43  names. 


The  parish  committee  were  prompt  in  communicating  the  fore- 
going call  to  Mr.  Emerson,  and  on  the  4th  of  the  following  March 
a  meeting  was  called  to  consider  his  answer,  which  was  entered  upon 
the  record  as  follows  : 

"-  To  the  Inhabitants  of  the  West  Parish  in  Dunstable," 

"Whereas  it  has  pleased  the  Great  God  (who  has  the  Hearts  of 
all  men  in  his  Hands)  — to  dispose  and  incline  your  hearts  to  invite 
me  to  take  the  oversight  of  you  and  to  Labour  among  you  in  Word 
and  Doctrine  as  appears  by  a  vote  preferred  to  me  by  the  Committee, 
bearing  date  Jan.  17,  1742.  3,  I  have  from  that  time  taken  that  im- 
portant matter  into  the  most  close  consideration  and  have  asked  the 
best  advice  and  am  (after  many  and  great  difficulties  in  the  way) 
come  to  this  conclusion  without  Hesitation  viz.  : 

"  If  you  will  fullfill  your  Promis  as  to  the  £400  Settlement  in  old 
Tenor,  only  that  the  one  part  of  it  be  in  Forty  Acres  of  Good  Land, 
near  and  convenient  to  the  Meeting  House,  firmly  and  forever  con- 
vaied  to  me,  and  the  other  Part  to  be  paid  in  Bills  of  Publique  credit 
within  a  year  from  the  date  of  this  Answer  —  —  And  that  for  my 
yearly  Sallary  you  give  me  such  a  certain  Sum  of  Bills  of  Publique 
credit  yearly,  as  shall  be  equal  to  150  ounces  of  coined  Silver,  which 


52  SETTLEMENT    OF    MR.    EMEItSOX.  [1739101746. 

is  the  sum  you  propose together  with  Thirty  Cords  of  Wood 

Cord  Wood  Length  delivered  at  my  Door And  after  your  Parish 

Town  or  District  shall  bv  the  Providence  of  God  be  increased  to  the 
number  of  100  Families  (and  not  desired  or  expected  till  then)  you 
make  an  addition  to  my  yearly  Sallary  of  five  ounces  of  coined  Sil- 
ver per  year  till  the  same  shall  be  equal  to  200  Ounces  of  coined 
Silver  —  there  to  abide  till  the  number  of  your  Families  arise  to  150 
—  and  then  to  Raise  Five  Ounces  of  Coined  Silver  per  year  till  it 
arrives  at  210  Ounces  of  Coined  Silver  —  and  there  to  abide  and 
be  no  more,  which  is  equal  to  £70.  of  the  Massachusetts  last 
Emition  —  Always  expecting  the  Thirty  Cords  of  Wood  —  And 
that  these  Several  Sums  or  Sum  be  continued  to  me.  so  long  as  I 
continue  a  Ghospel  Minister  over  you — Always  and  in  an  espetial 

manner  expecting  that  vou  will  be  Helpers  with  me  by  Prayer 

"Now  if  these  before  mentioned  conditions  be  freely  and  volun- 
tarily acted  on  and  secured  to  me  —  as  you  promist  in  the  call  — 
then  I  as  freely  and  willingly  accept  of  the  call  and  freely  subscribe 
myself  vours  to  serve  in  the  work  of  the  Ghospel  Ministry  During 
Life. 

••  Dunstablc  West  Precinct  March  y"  4th    1/43. 

••  DANIEL   EMERSON." 

The  record  continues.  ••  It  was  thereupon  Voted  and  agreed  to 
nccept  the  Terms  Mr.  Emerson  proposed  in  his  answer  bouth  as  to 
settlement  and  sallarv  —  Also  Voted  that  Samuel  Brown.  Abraham 
Taylor,  Peter  Powers.  Eleaxer  Flagg  and  Samuel  Cumings  be  a 
committee  to  consult  with  Mr.  Emerson  in  the  choice  of  a  council." 
On  the  same  day  and  at  the  same  meeting,  as  it  appears  in  the 
record,  a  mutual  additional  agreement  was  entered  into  by  the  tax 
payers,  and  signed  by  most  of  them,  with  a  preamble  setting  forth 
the  reasons  that  made  this  new  agreement  necessary,  the  important 
parts  of  which  are  as  follows  : 

••Whereas  his  majesty  by  the  late  determination  of  the  Northern 
Boundary  of  the  Massachusetts  has  left  us  the  Subscribers.  Inhabi- 
tants of  the  Westerly  part  of  Dunstable  out  of  the  Province  to 
which  we  always  supposed  we  belonged,  and  under  whose 
Laws  we  Exercised  the  Privileges  of  a  Parish  —  but  by  the  said  de- 
termination it  is  supposed  by  some  that  said  Inhabitants  are  Dis- 
qualified to  make  any  Act,  Agreement  or  Determination  by  a  ma- 
jority of  voters  as  they  otherwise  might  have  done  that  should  be 
Effectual  to  compel  Persons  to  pay  their  honest  Proportion  of  all 


I739  to   T74^']          CONTRACT    WITH    MR.    EMERSOX.  53 

such  Rates  and  necessary  charges  that  shall  arise  in  calling  settling 
and  maintaining  a  minister. 

••Now  therefore  that  we  may  Enjoy  the  Benefit  of  the  Ghospel 
ordinances  amongst  us  we  have  come  into  the  following  agreement 
and  obligation  viz." 

The  contract  with  Mr.  Emerson  is  set  forth  in  this  new  agree- 
ment, verbatim,  and  the  record  then  continues  as  follows  : 

•' Allso  agreed  that  in  the  Payment  of  the  Ministers  Settlement  & 
Sallary  the  assessors  hereafter  to  be  chosen  Proportion  such  a  cer- 
tain part  thereof  to  each  Pole  that  when  the  Remainder  thereof  shall 
be  levied  upon  Each  Persons'  Real  and  Personal  Estate,  agreeable 
to  the  Rules  of  the  Massachusetts  Province,  that  the  highest  Payer 
upon  Estates  shall  be  equal  to  a  single  Pole."  *  *  *  * 

"To  the  Performance  of  the  aforewritten  agreement  we  hereby 
covenant  and  oblige  ourselves  in  the  Penal  sum  of  £100,  till  such 
time  as  this  societv  be  incorporated  a  distinct  Town  or  Parish." 

Thirty-seven  names  were  signed  to  this  agreement,  some  of  which 
wei'e  not  upon  the  call.  This  agreement,  as  will  be  readily  seen. 
\vas  a  voluntary  compact,  entered  into  by  those  who  signed  it  as 
their  best  expedient  for  the  lack  of  a.  town  or  parish  charter. 

Some    other    matters    suggested    by    this   contract   between    Mr. 
Emerson  and  his  societv  are  worthy    of  a   few    passing  remarks,  as 
illustrating  the  laws,  customs  and  prevailing  sentiments  of  the  times 
as  well  in  civil  as  in  church  affairs. 

ist.  It  was  agreed  in  this  contract  that  the  new  minister  for  the 
present  should  receive  for  his  yearly  salary  i  ^o  ounces  of  coined 
silver,  or  jtheir  equal  value  in  bills  of  public  credit,  the  paper  money 
of  that  day.  and  also  30  cords  of  wood.  When  the  number  of 
families  in  the  society  should  reach  100.  five  ounces  per  year  were  to 
he-added,  till  the  salary  should  amount  to  200  ounces,  and  it  might 
afterwards  be  increased  to  210  ounces. 

The  (y/,.  Troy,  used  in  weighing  the  precious  metals,  contains 
480  grains.  The  American  silver  dollar  contains  412  1-2  of  those 
grains,  making  the  value  of  the  ox.  of  silver  coin  $1.14  :  i^ooz. 
'=$171  :  200 ox.  =$228  :  ami2io  ox.  =$239.40.  in  standard  federal 
coin. 

Mr.  Emerson  was  ordained  April  20.  1743.  and  he  continued  a 
faithful,  venerated  and  popular  minister  of  that  societv  till  Nov.  27. 
1793,  a  period  of  more  than  fifty  years,  without  a  change,  ••  or  wish 
to  change  his  place."  At  the  latter  date  the  Rev.  Eli  Smith,  who 


54  CONTRACT    WITH    MR.    EMERSON".          [r739  *°   J74^' 

had  married  his  grand-daughter,  was  settled  as  his  colleague.  Mr. 
Emerson  retaining  one-half  of  his  salary,  till  his  decease.  Sept.  30. 
iSoi.  at  the  age  of  85  years. 

During  that  long  period  the  salary  of  the  minister,  in  accordance 
with  the  tenor  of  their  contract,  was  assessed  upon  the  inhabitants  of 
the  town  at  the  annual  March  meetings,  and  always  voted,  so  far  as 
appears  from  the  record,  without  dissent  or  opposition.  As  we  have 
.seen,  in  the  acceptance  of  the  proposals  made  to  him  by  the  society, 
Mr.  Emerson  closed  his  answer  with  the  words,  u  Yours  to  serve  in 
the  work  of  the  Ghospel  ministry  during  life."  We  have  in  the  pas- 
torate of  Mr.  Emerson,  an  apt  illustration  of  what  was  understood 
bv  our  ancestors  130  years  ago,  by  the  settlement  of  a  minister  in  a 
country  town  in  New  England,  ki>  during  life." 

ad.  We  have  seen  that  the  society  in  their  proposals  to  the  candi- 
date agreed  to  give  him  such  a  sum' in  bills  of  public  credit  as  would 
be  equal  to  £^oof  the  "Massachusetts  last  Emition."  This  Massa- 
chusetts last  emission  was,  at  that  date,  the  latest  issue  of  paper 
money  by  that  province,  one  pound  of  •which,  at  that  time,  was 
worth  $3-33  in  coin,  but  like  all  paper  monev  was  very  liable  to  de- 
preciate. Not  intending  that  the  value  of  his  pastoral  services  should 
depreciate,  as  paper  money  might,  Mr.  Emersonin  accepting  the  call, 
with  somewhat  of  worldly  wisdom,  not  to  say  Yankee  shrewdness? 
took  occasion  to  translate  this  £50  in  paper  money  into  its  equivalent 
at  the  time  in  hard  cash.  By  this  thoughtful  caution,  he  secured  to 
himself  for  the  following  fifty  years  and  more,  a  fixed  hard  money 
basis  for  the  value  of  his  parochial  duties,  a  basis  ever  afterwards  re~ 
spected  by  the  people  of  the  town. 

The  variable  and  uncertain  value  of  the  paper  monev  in  use  in 
New  Hampshire,  as  shown  by  the  town  records,  from  1741  till 
near  the  revolutionary  war.  and  also  during  that  war.  is  the  best 
commentary  upon  the  caution  and  foresight  of  Mr.  Emerson  in  mak- 
ing his  contract  as  he  did.  The  General  Court  of  Massachusetts 
first  issued  bills  of  credit,  as  money,  in  1690,  of  which  a  fac  simile  is 
to  be  found  in  the  Historical  Collections  of  that  state  for  the  year 
1863.  In  the  year  1748  that  province  had  its  bills  of  credit  in  circu- 
lation, issued  at  different  times,  to  the  nominal  amount  of  £2,200,000. 
These  bills  of  credit  at  that  time  had  so  depreciated  that  £i  in  silver 
was  equal  in  value  to  £1 1  in  paper.  About  that  time  this  paper 
money  was  redeemed  at  that  rate(eleven  for  one)  in  .Spanish  dollars, 
which  had  been  received  from  England  in  payment  of  the  sen-ices 


to 


*746-]          THE    OLD    TENOR  PAPER    MOXEV.  55 


of  the  Massachusetts  troops,  at  the  siege  and  capture  of  Louisburg, 
In  1745.  But  in  New  Hampshire,  from  I741  to  1765,.  there  appears 
to  have  been  very  little  if  any  metallic  money  in  use  as  a  medium  of 
exchange.  As  shown  by  the  town  records,  the  taxes  for  all  pur- 
posesi  during  that  period,  \vere  assessed  and  collected  in  some  sort  of 
paper  money.  Even  the  names  by  which  the  various  kinds  and 
issues  of  this  currency  were  known  at  the  time,  are  to  most  of  the 
present  generation  an  unsolved  riddle. 

Among  these  names  we  shall  find  on  the  records:  "manufactory 
bills."  "Mass,  old  tenor,"  "  X.  H.  old  tenor."  "Mass,  new  tenor." 
"  X.  H.  new  tenor."  "Mass,  new  emission,"  "  N.  H.  new 
emission."  "'lawful  money."  &c..  &c.  ;  all  apparently  differing  in 
value  as  well  as  in  name. 

Prior  to  1760  the  number  of  families  in  Mr.  Emerson's  societv  had 
not  increased  to  one  hundred,  consequently  he  was  not  yet  entitled  to 
an  increase  of  his  salary  beyond  the  value  of  15007.  of  silver,  or  of 
that  of  the  £50  of  the  Massachusetts  last  emission,  as  it  was  at  the 
time  of  his  settlement. 

For  the  payment  of  this  salary  (equal  as  we  have  seen  to  $171  in 
federal  money),  we  find  that  the  inhabitants  were  assessed,  in  the 
years  named  "below,  the  following  sums  in  the  paper  money  then  in 
use.  1753,  £777.  ios.  6'1.  O.  T.  1760,  £404.  9s.  8(I.  Mass.  O.  T 
1761.  £415.  6».  N.  H.  X.  Tenor.  1763.  £447.  15".  6".  X.  H.  O.  T. 
1770.  £67.  13".  8d.  L.  M.  or  silver  money.  In  the  year  last  named 
paper  money  appears  to  have  gone  wholly  out  of  use.  The  like 
variation  in  the  value  of  this  currency  is  shown  in  the  prices  fixed  for 
the  thirty  cords  of  wood  to  be  furnished  yearly  to  the  minister.  This 
wood  was  commonly  assessed  upon  the  tax  payers  from  year  to  year 
in  kind,  each  of  them  being  required  to  furnish  at  the  minister's  door 
a  certain  number  of  feet.  If  not  delivered  at  the  time  fixed  by  vote 
of  the  town,  the  delinquent  was  to  pay  for  it  at  a  price  voted  at  the 
previous  March  meeting.  The  price  of  a  cord  of  wood  fixed  in  this 
way  for  different  years  was:  for  1748.  £i.:  1750,  £2.  ios  ;  1760. 
£6.  :  1770.  3*.  6'1.  lawful  or  silver  money,  equal  to  fifty-eight  cents. 

3d.  We  shall  also  find,  by  examination  of  these  records,  that  the 
mode  of  assessing  taxes  at  that  time,  and  the  way  in  which  they  were 
apportioned  between  polls  and  estates,  were  radically  different  from 
our  modern  views  and  usages. 

We  have  seen,  in  the  agreement  entered  into  among  themselves 
bv  the  members  of  Mr.  Emerson's  societv,  that  by  mutual  consent 


56  THE    OLD    TENOR    PAPER    MONEY.          [l739  to   1746, 

they  fixed  upon  a  basis  of  taxation,  as  to  polls  and  property,  which, 
as  stated  in  that  instrument,  '•  was  agreeable  to  the  rule  of  the  Mas- 
sachusetts province."  This  rule  was  to  the  effect,  that  the  tax  for 
the  support  of  the  minister  should  be  so  apportioned  among  such  as 
had  real  and  personal  estate  and  those  subject  to  a  poll  tax  only,  in 
such  way  that  a  single  poll  tax  should  be  equal  to  the  highest  tax  on 
property.  In  other  words,  the  whole  amount  of  the  property  tax  of 
the  richest  man  in  the  town  could  be  no  more  in  amount  than  twice 
the  poll  tax  of  the  poorest  who  was  taxed  at  all.  Under  the  law  of 
Massachusetts,  as  we  have  before  seen,  male  persons  were  subject  to 
a  poll  tax  at  eighteen,  and  the  same  law  was  at  the  time  in  force  in 
New  Hampshire.  » 

In  illustration  of  this  rule  of  taxation,  I  will  cite  an  example  or 
two.  The  first  tax  after  the  ordination  of  Mr.  Emerson  was  for  £35. 
assessed  to  pay  tor  the  entertainment  of  the  ordaining  council.  Of 
that  sum,  £27,  6s.,  or  more  than  three-fourths  of  it.  were  assessed 
upon  fifty-seven  persons  as  a  poll  tax,  and  the  balance,  less  than  £8. 
upon  property. 

The  next  tax  was  for  £63^.  98.  6d.  for  Mr.  Emerson's  settlement 
and  salary  for  the  first  year.  Of  that  sum,  £418.  9s.  6d.  were 
assessed  as  a  poll  tax  on  sixty-two  persons,  or  about  two-thirds  of 
the  whole. 

As  in  taxes  assessed  for  other  purposes,  so  in  those  for  the  support 
of  the  ministry,  there  was  no  law  for  the  exemption  of  the  person  or 
property  of  any  one  except  by  vote  of  the  town.  The  law  in  this 
respect  appears  to  have  been  in  full  accord  with  popular  sentiment, 
and  the  majority  of  the  people  were  sufficiently  tenacious  of  their 
legal  rights  under  it.  As  an  instance  of  public  sentiment  upon  the 
question,  we  find  that  as  late  as  1785.  Mr.  Edward  Spalding  had  an 
article  inserted  in  the  warrant  for  the  annual  March  meeting:  "  To 
see  if  it  were  the  minds  of  the  people  to  exempt  his  estate  from  min- 
isterial tax,  for  the  reason  that  he  belonged  to  the  Baptist  denomina- 
tion." This  question  being  submitted  to  the  meeting,  "the  minds 
of  the  people"  found  expression  in  the  following  clear  and  emphatic 
terms:  "Voted,  that  the  estate  of  Edward  Spalding  shall  not  be 
freed  from  minister's  tax  for  the  time  past,  present,  or  to  come." 


CHARTER    OF    HOW-IS.  57 


CHAPTER    IV. 

i 

1746  TO   I75O. CHARTER  OF  HOLLIS,   ETC. ORIGIN  OF  THE  NAME. 

FIRST      TOWN       MEETING.  SECOND      MEETING        HOUSE.  PEW 

GROUND    AND    PEWS. CARE     OF    THE    MEETING-HOUSE.  LAND 

TAX. SINGING,   ETC. 

The  district  organization  of  all  that  part  of  old  Dunstable  lying 
north  of  the  new  Province  line,  and  west  of  the  Merrimack  river,  con- 
tinueVl  unchanged  from  1742  till  the  spring  of  1746.  This  district 
organization,  as  we  have  seen,  was  for  the  single  purpose  of  assess- 
ing and  collecting  Province  taxes.  Early  in  the  year  1746,  the 
Governor  and  Council,  with  a  view  to  the  division  of  this  district 
into  townships,  appointed  five  Commissioners  to  examine  the  ter- 
ritory and  to  report  in  what  way  it  could  be  best  subdivided  into 
township  corporations. 

At  the  last  public  meeting  of  the  inhabitants  of  West  Dunstable, 
held  Feb.  18,  1746,  John  Boynton.  Thomas  Dinsmore,  and  Benja- 
min Parker  were  appointed  a  committee  on  the  part  of  the  people 
to  meet  those  Commissioners  and  to  represent  to  them  the  wishes  of 
the  settlers  in  West  Dunstable  in  respect  to  the  proposed  incorpor- 
ations. These  Commissioners  convened  at  the  East  parish.  They 
were  waited  upon  there,  as  is  said,  by  the  Committee  from  West 
Dunstable  and  requested  to  visit  and  view  the  west  part  of  the  Dis- 
trict :  but  the  Commissioners  declined  going  any  farther  to  the  west. 
In  pursuance  of  the  report  of  this  commission,  the  district  of  Dun- 
stable  vyas  very  soon  divided  and  incorporated  into  the  four  townships 
of  Dunstable,  Holies,  Merrimack  and  Monson.  With  the  exception 
of  their  boundaries,  the  charters  of  these  townships  were  substan- 
tially alike,  those  of  Dunstable  and  Monson,  being  dated  April  i, 
that  of  Merrimack,  April  2.  and  that  of  Hollis,  April  3.  1746. 


58  QUARTER    OF    IIOLLIS.  [^4^  to   I75°- 

CHARTER    OF    IIOLLIS. 

"  Province  of  New  Hampshire.  1 

^  George    the    Second,     by    the 

f~~        %  Grace  of  God  of  Great   Brit- 

•j  Seal  |-  |     ain.  France  and  Ireland.  King, 

Defender  of  the  Faith.  &c. 


•*'  To  all  to  whom  these  Presents  shall  come.     Greeting. 

"Whereas  sundry  of  our  loyal  subjects,  Inhabitants  of  a  Tract 
of  Land  within  the  Antient  Boundary  of  a  Town  called  Dunstable 
in  our  Province  of  New  Hampshire,  on  the  Westerly  Side  of  Mer- 
rimack  river  herein  described.  Have  Humbly  petitioned  and  re- 
quested of  us  that  they  may  be  erected  and  incorporated  into  a 
Township  and  Enfranchised  with  the  same  Powers,  Authorities  and 
Privileges  which  other  Townships  in  our  said  Province  have  and 
Enjoy. 

'"  And  it  appearing  to  us  to  be  conducive  to  the  General  Good  of 
our  said  Province  as  well  as  of  said  Inhabitants  in  particular,  by  main- 
taining Good  order  and  Encouraging  the  Culture  of  the  Land  that 
the  same  shall  be  Done.  Know  ye  therefore  that  Wee  of  our  Spe- 
cial Grace,  certain  Knowledge  and  for  the  Encouragement  and  Pro- 
moting the  Good  Purposes  and  Ends  aforesaid  ;  —  By  and  with  the 
advice  of  our  trusty  and  beloved  Benning  Wentworth.  Esq..  Gov- 
ernor and  Commander  in  Chief,  and  of  our  Council  for  said  Pro- 
vince, have  erected,  incorporated  and  ordained,  and  by  these  Pres- 
ents for  us  and  our  Heirs  and  Successors  Do  will  and  ordain  that 
the  Inhabitants  of  the  Tract  of  Land  aforesaid,  bounded  as  follows 
viz..  Beginning  at  Nashawav  River  where  the  Northerly  Boundary 
Line  of  the  Province  of  Massachusetts  Bay  crosses  .  that  River ; 
Then  running  North  Eighty  Degrees  West  on  said  Line  Six  miles 
and  Ninety  Six  Rods  ;  Then  North  by  the  needle  on  Dunstable  An- 
tient Head  Line  four  Miles  and  one  Hundred  and  Forty  Rods ; 
Then  South  Eighty  Degrees  East  by  the  Needle  to  Muddy  Brook  ; 
Then  by  Muddy  Brook  into  Flint's  Pond  ;  Then  by  Flint's  Brook  to 
Nashawav  River ;  Then  by  Nashaway  River  to  the  Place  Where  it 
first  began ;  And  (they  who)  shall  inhabit  the  same  be  and  by 
these  Presents  are  declared  and  ordained  to  be  a  Town  Corporate  and 
are  hereby  Erected  and  Incorporated  into  a  Body  Corporate  and  Cor- 
poration to  have  continuance  forever  by  the  name  of  Holies  With 
all  the  Powers  and  Authorities,  Privileges.  Immunities  and  Fran- 
chises Which  other  Towns  within  our  said  Province  or  any  of  them 


DUNSTAlB  LE 


M ON SON 


MERRIMACK, 


HOLIES, 


WTMBACKOfTHf  ORIGINAL  CHARTER 

"DAY  0f  APRIL  //*e. 


MERRIMACK/MONSON 


A5   CHARTERED 

l,  1746 


1746.]  CHARTERS    OF    DUNSTABLE,    MOXSOX,   ETC.  59 

by  Law  have  and  Enjoy.  To  have  and  to  hold  the  said  Powers 
and  Authorities,  Immunities  and  Franchises  to  them  the  said  In- 
habitants and  their  Successors  forever. 

"•  Always  Reserving  to  us  our  Heirs  and  Successors,  All  White 
Pine  Trees  growing  and  being,  and  which  shall  hereafter  grow 
on  said  Tract  of  Land  Jit  for  the  use  of  our  Royal  Navy  ;  Also 
the  Power  of  Dividing  the  Said  Town  to  us  our  Heirs  and  Successors 
when  it  shall  appear  necessary  or  convenient  for  the  benefit  of  the 
Inhabitants  thereof. 

"  And  as  the  Several  Towns  Within  our  said  Province  are  bv  the 
Law  thereof  Enabled  and  Authorized  to  Assemble  and  by  the  Ma- 
jority of  Votes  to  chuse  all  such  officers  as  are  mentioned  in  Said 
Law,  We  do  by  these  Presents  nominate  Col.  Joseph  Blanchard  to 
call  the  first  meeting  of  the  .Said  Inhabitants  to  be  held  within  the 
Said  Town  at  anv  time  within  thirty  days  from  the  date  hereof. 
Giving  legal  notice  of  the  Time  Place  and  Design  of  Holding  Said 
Meeting.  In  Testimony  Whereof  We  have  caused  the  Seal  of  our 
Said  Province  to  be  hereunto  affixed. 

Witness.  Benning  Wentworth.  Esq..  our  Governor,  and  Com- 
mander-in-Chief  of  our  said  Province  the  third  day  of  April,  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord  Christ.  1746-  and  in  the  igth  year  of  our  Reign. 

B.  WEXTWORTH. 

Bv  his  Excellency's  Command  with  the  advice  of  Council. 

THP:ODORE  ATKINSON.  Sect'y 

BOUNDARIES    OF    DUNSTABLE.    AS    CHARTERED    APRIL    I.     1/46. 

"Beginning  at  the  River  Merrimack  at  the  Northern  Boundary 
Line  of  the  Province  of  Massachusetts  Bay  and  runs  from  the  River 
Merrimack.  North.  Eighty  Degrees,  West,  five  miles  and  forty  rods 
to  Nashua  River.  Then  by  said  River  to  Flint's  Brook  :  thence  by 
Flint's  Brook  into  Flint's  pond  :  then  bv  a  run  of  water  into  Muddy 
brook,  and  down  Muddy  brook  into  Pennichuck  pond  ;  then  by 
Pennichuck  brook  into  Merrimack  river  to  the  place  where  it  first 
begun."  » 

BOUNDARIES    OF    MOXSOX. 

••  Beginning  at  the  West  Line  of  Dunstablc.  old  Town,  tour  miles 
and  one  hundred  and  forty  rods  north,  by  the  magnet,  of  the  north- 
ern boundary  line  of  the  Province  of  Massachusetts  Bay  ;  then  south- 


60  CHARTERS    OF    DUXSTABLE,    MOXSOX,    ETC.  [1746., 

erly  eighty  degrees,  east,  to  Muddy  brook  ;  then  by  that  brook  to 
Pennichuck  pond  and  from  the  north  end  of  said  pond,  north,  by  the 
magnet,  to  Souhegan  river ;  then  by  the  said  river  to  the  head  line 
on  the  west  side  of  old  Dunstable ;  then  south,  by  the  magnet,  on 
that  line  to  the  place  where  it  begun." 


ORIGINAL    BOUNDARIES    OF    MERRIMACK. 

•*  Beginning  at  the  Merrimack  river  where  Pennichuck  brook 
comes  into  that  river ;  then  by  Pennichuck  brook  to  Pennichuck 
pond  ;  then  due  north,  by  the  magnet,  to  Souhegan  river ;  then  by 
that  river  to  Merrimack  river ;  then  on  the  west  side  of  Merrimack 
river  to  the  place  where  it  first  begun." 

On  the  ^th  day  of  June,  1750,  that  part  of  the  present  town  of 
Merrimack  north  of  the  Souhegan,  was  annexed  to  that  town  by  an 
amendment  of  its  original  charter. 

Nottingham  West*  no'ju  Hudson,  on  the  east  side  of  Merrimack 
river,  being,  as  at  first  incorporated,  wholly  within  ancient  Dun- 
stable,  and  Pelham,  embracing  its  extreme  eastern  part  were  also 
incorporated  as  to'wns  by  the  Governor  and  Cduncil  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, in  1746.  Litchjield,  as  chartered  by  the  General  Court  of 
Massachusetts,  in  1734,  as  we  have  seen,  lay  upon  both  sides  of  the 
Merrimack,  was  also  within  old  Dunstable.  That  part  of  Litch- 
field  on  the  east  side  of  the  Merrimack  was  chartered  as  a  town  by 
the  Governor  and  Council  of  New  Hampshire,  June  5,  1749- 

All  these  New  Hampshire  town  charters,  unlike  those  granted  by 
the  General  Couit  of  Massachusetts,  were  wholly  silent  in  respect 
to  the  "•  settlement  and  maintainance  of  able  and  orthodox  minis- 
ters "  and  the  building  of  meeting-houses.  Banning  Wentworth, 
at  that  time  the  royal  Governor  of  New  Hampshire,  was  an  Episco- 
palian and  a  zealous  adherent  of  the  Church  of  England,  and  it 
may  well  be  supposed  that  he  had  no  special  sympathy  with  the 
current  orthodoxy  of  the  times  as  taught  in  the  Cambridge  Platform 
and  the  Assembly's  Catechism. 

.Instead  of  the  like  conditions  as  in  the  Massachusetts  charters 
in  respect  to  orthodox  ministers  and  meeting-houses.  Governor 
Wentworth  in  these  New  Hampshire  charters  expressly  reserved, 
for  the  use  of  the  royal  navy,  all  suitable  white  pine  trees  then 
growing  and  being  and  which  should  afterwards  grow  in  the  town* 
so  chartered,  thus  giving  for  the  use  of  His  Majesty's  navy  all  such 


1746.]  THE    NAME    OK    HOLLIS    AXD    ITS    ORIGIN.  6l 

trees  as  were   best  adapted  to    the    building    of  orthodox    meeting- 
houses. 

By  a  Province  Law  of  Xe\v  Hampshire,  passed  in  1714,  it  was 
enacted,  "That  it  should  be  lawful  for  the  free-holders  of  a  town, 
convened  in  public  Town  Meeting  to  make  choice  of  a  minister  for 
the  supply  of  said  town,  and  to  agree  what  annual  salary  should 
be  paid  him,"  and  it  was  made  the  duty  of  the  selectmen  '•  to  make 
Rates  upon  the  Inhabitants  of  the  town  for  the  payment  of  the 
Salary  of  the  minister  in  the  same  manner  as  for  other  town 
charges."  When  a  minister  was  chosen  and  settled  under  this  law, 
all  the  tax-payers  in  the  town  were  liable  to  be  taxed  for  his  sup- 
port, it  making  no  difference,  as  it  would  seem,  as  to  this  liability, 
whether  the  minister  were  a  Calvinist,  Episcopalian.  Presbyterian. 
Baptist,  or  New  Light. 

"  Or  Light  that   shines   when   few  are  nigh, 
For  Spiritual  trades  to  cozen  by." 

In  Massachusetts,  at  that  time,  as  has  been  shown,  no  minister 
satisfied  the  law  unless  '^  able,  learned  and  orthodox." 

THE    NAME    AXD    ITS    ORIGIN. 

Within  my  remembrance,  there  has  been  much  controversy  upon 
the  question  whether  the  name  of  Hollis  should  be  spelt  with  the 
letter  /  or  c  in  the  last  syllable,  and  also  as  to  the  person  in  whose 
honor  the  town  was  named.  Mr.  Farmer,  in  his  Gazetteer  of  New 
Hampshire,  spells  it  with  an  /.  and  tells  us  that  the  name  was  either 
derived  from  the  Duke  of  Newcastle,  whose  family  name  was  Hollis. 
or  from  Thomas  Hollis,  a  distinguished  benefactor  of  Harvard  Col- 
lege*; Mr.  Farmer  spelling  both  names  kk  Hollis"  Hon.  J.  B.  Hill, 
in  his  history  of  Mason,  says  the  name  was  derived  from  that  of  the 
Duke  of  Newcastle,  whose  family  name  was  Holies;  Mr.  Hill  using 
the  letter  c  in  the  last  syllable.  From  the  best  evidence  at  my  com- 
mand upon  the  question,  I  have  no  doubt  that  Mr.  Hill  is  correct, 
both  in  the  orthography  of  the  name  and  also  in  that  of  the  person 
for  whom  the  town  was  called.  In  the  original  record  of  the  town 
charter,  now  at  Concord,  and  in  the  copy  of  the  charter  on  the 
Hollis  record,  the  name  is  spelt  Holies.  In  the  town  records  for 
the  twenty-five  years  and  more  before  the  war  of  the  revolution  the 
name  occurs  hundreds  of  times,  and.  so  far  as  I  have  seen,  is  uni- 
formly spelt  Holies  as  in  the  charter,  and  is  so  spelt  in  the  New 
Hampshire  Laws  published  as  late  as  1815. 


62  THE    NAME    OF    HOLLIS    AND    ITS    ORIGIN.  [l*]<\6. 

At  the  time  Hollis  was  chartered,  Benning  Wentworth,  as  we 
have  seen,  was  governor.  Mr.  Wentworth  was  appointed  to  that 
office  in  1741,  and  held  it  till  1765.  He  was  indebted  to  the  Duke 
of  Newcastle  for  this  appointment,  who  was  at  the  time,  and  for 
some  years  after,  secretary  of  state  for  the  colonies,  this  commission 
costing  the  friends  of  Gov.  Wentworth  £300  in  fees  and  expenses  o* 
solicitation. 

In  a  work  entitled  ic  Burke's  Extinct  Peerages  of  Great  Britain," 
now  in  the  library  of  the  New  England  Historic.  Genealogical 
Society  in  Boston,  I  find  that  the  original  name  of  this  Duke  of 
Newcastle  was  Thomas  Pelham,  (an  English  baron).  This  Thomas 
Pelham  (whose  mother  was  Grace  Holies)  was  a  nephew  and  the 
adopted  son  and  heir  of  his  uncle,  the  preceding  Duke  of  Newcastle. 
who  was  childless,  and  whose  family  name  was  Holies.  Upon  the 
death  of  the  old  duke  (his  uncle),  this  nephew  succeeded  to  his 
estates  and  titles,  and  assumed  his  family  name  and  was  afterward 
known  as  Thomas  Pelham  Holies. 

It  was  very  much  a  custom  with  Gov.  Wentworth  to  name  towns 
in.  New  Hampshire,  chartered  by  him,  in  honor  of  his  friends  and 
patrons  connected  with  the  home  government.  The  towns  of  Mon- 
son,  Hollis  and  Pelham  were  all  chartered  the  same  year,  1746,  and 
while  the  Duke  of  Newcastle  (Thomas  Pelham  Holies)  was  still 
secretary  of  state  for  the  colonies.  Monson  was  the  family  name  of 
one  of  the  board  of  the  Lords  of  colonial  trade,  and  that  fact,  I  ap- 
prehend, accounts  for  the  name  of  the  extinct  town  of  Monson. 
Pelham,  the  original  family  name  of  this  Duke  of  Newcastle,  was 
perpetuated  in  the  name  of  the  town  of  Pelham,  in  the  same  wav 
and  for  the  like  reason  that  Holies,  his  name  by  adoption,  was  in-" 
tended  to  be  in  that  of  the  town  of  Hollis  ;  the  grateful  governor, 
besides  the  £300.  thus  paying  his  patron  the  double  compliment. 
—  much  in-  the  same  wav  as  his  successor,  Gov.  John  Wentworth. 
commemorated  the  maiden  name  of  his  wife,  Frances  Deering,  in 
the  names  of  two  of  our  neighboring  towns,  Francestown  and 
Deering,  as  an  expression  of  his  gratitude  for  her  acceptance  of  his 
hand  at  the  end  of  two  sad,  lonely  weeks  of  widowhood.  Whatever 
may  have  been  the  special  obligations  of  Benning  Wentworth  to 
the  Duke  of  Newcastle,  the  people  of  New  England  had  very  little 
reason  to  think  well  of  him.  Mr.  Bancroft,  in  his  history,  says  of 
him,  "  that  he  was  of  so  feeble  a  head  and  so  treacherous  a  heart  that 
Sir  Robert  Walpole  called  his  name  •'  Perfidy"  ;  that  Lord  Halifax 


1746  to   I75O.]  FIRST    TOWN    ELECTION.  63 

used  to  revile  him  as  a  knave  and  fool,  and  that  he  was  so  igno- 
rant of  this  continent,  that  it  was  said  of  him,  that  he  addressed  his 
letters  to  the  '  Island  of  New  England.'  " 

Thomas  Hollis,  the  generous  benefactor  of  Harvard  College,  was 
an  eminent  and  wealthy  merchant  of  London  ;  of  very  exemplary 
character,  and  liberal  in  his  political  principles.  Mr.  Hollis  died  in 
1731, —  ten  years  before  Mr.  Wentworth  was  appointed  Governor, 
and  I  know  of  no  reason  for  supposing  that  the  governor  was  per- 
sonally acquainted  with  him.  Hollis  Hall  at  Cambridge,  built  and 
dedicated  just  before  the  revolution,  was  named  for  this  benefactor 
of  the  college.  The  name  of  the  London  merchant,  and  also  of 
this  hall,  have  been  always  spelt  as  the  name  of  the  town  of  Hollis 
now  is. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  people  of  Hollis,  one  hundred 
years  ago,  well  understood  the  character  of  the  Duke  of  Newcastle, 
and  also  that  of  the  worthy  London  merchant,  and  it  is  not  strange 
that  it  should  have  been  their  choice  that  the  name  of  the  benefactor 
of  Harvard  College  should  be  commemorated  in  that  of  their  town, 
rather  than  any  of  the  many  names  of  the  Duke  of  Newcastle, 
whether  original,  adopted  or  bestowed  by  those  who  knew  him  as 
well  as  did  Sir  Robert  Walpole  and  Lord  Halifax. 

Accordingly,  about  the  year  1775.  when  change  and  revolution 
were  the  order  of  the  day,  in  all  their  other  important  interests  and 
affairs,,  a  slight  orthographical  revolution,  as  appears  by  their  town 
records,  was  for  the  first  time  initiated  in  the  name  of  their  town  by 
changing  the  e  in  the  last  syllable  into  i.  During  the  revolutionary 
war,  and  afterward  to  the  end  of  the  century,  and  in  many  instances 
later,  the  name  was  spelt  in  the  records  and  other  public  documents 
in  both  ways,  according  to  the  opinion  or  caprice  of  the  writer,  and 
it  continued  so  to  be  spelt,  as  we  have  seen,  as  late  as  1815.  But 
for  the  last  fifty  years,  so  far  as  I  have  known,  it  has  with  great  uni- 
formity been  spelt  as  it  now  is,  Hollis,  like  that  of  the  benefactor  of 
Harvard  College,  and  that  orthography  appears  now  to  be  perma- 
nently established  both  by  common  usage  and  the  will  of  the  people, 
while  Holies,  the  name  of  the  Duke  of  Newcastle,  has  passed  into 
merited  oblivion. 


64  THE    SECOND    MEETING-HOUSE.  C1?^  to   17^0. 

THE    FIRST    TOWN    ELECTION. 

The  first  Town  Election  in  Hollis.  (as  provided  in  the  charter), 
was  called  by  Col.  Joseph  Blanchard,  April  28.  1746.  for  the  sole 
purpose  of  choosing  officers  for  the  new  town.  At  this  meeting  the 
first  town  officers  were  chosen  as  follows : 

SAMUEL  CUMINGS,  Moderator  JAMES  STEWART,                 I  T-th-_     »f 

SAMUEL.CUMINGS,  Town  Clerk  CHRISTOPHER  LOVEJOY,    ( 

SAMUEL  CUMINGS,           )  JONATHHN  DANFORTH,      /  ^          ,,. 

BENJAMIN  FARLEY,         [    Selectmen  BENJAMIN  BLANCHARD,  \ 

FRANCIS  WORCESTER,-  )  •            NICHOLAS  FRENCH,  |  HopTW,ve- 

THOMAS  DINSMORE,  ]      »  WILLIAM  ADAMS,     (  "°Sre(  ies> 

FRANCIS  PHELPS,  ELIAS  SMITH,  Pound  Keeper, 

NICHOLAS  FRENCH,    >  Surveyors  of  Hig-hwys ELIAS  SMITH,  Sealer  ol  Weights  and  Measures 

JAMES  MCDANIELS,    I  SAMUEL  BROWN,  Sealer  of  Leathei 

SAMUEL  PARKER^       j 

THE    SECOND    MEETING    HOUSE. 

In  the  month  of  March,  1745,  as  shown  by  the  Tax  List,  the 
taxable  inhabitants  of  West  Dunstable  had  increased  to  the  number 
of  77-  They  had  had  an  acceptable  and  popular  minister  for  near 
two  years,  and  had  begun  to  have  a  very  painful  sense  of  the  small 
capacity  of  their  first  meeting  house — "  22  feet  one  way — 20  feet 
the  other — 9  feet  Studs  —  and  one  Glass  Window."  This  feeling 
in  respect  to  the  dimensions  of  their  meeting-house  first  found  public 
expression  in  the  doings  of  a  parish  meeting  held  at  the  first  meet- 
ing-house Sept.  6,  1745.  wkile  the  inhabitants  were  still  without  a 
town  or  parish  charter.  At  this  meeting,  as  shown  by  the  record 
of  it,  it  was  "Voted  unanimously  to  build  a  meetings-house  50  feet 
long — 44  feet  wide  —  and  23  feet  Posts  in  Hight."  "  Allso  voted 
unanimously  to  sett  the  next  meeting-house  on  ye  Lott  of  Land  ye 
present  house  stands  on,  which  was  given  for  yl  use."  "Allso  vot- 
ed y*  John  Boynton,  Benjamin  Farley,  Elias  Smith,  Stephen  Harris. 
Thomas  Dinsmore  and  Zedekiah  Drury  be  a  committee  to  take  the 
whole  care  in  carrying  on  ye  work,  and  receiving  yc  money  yl  shall 
be  subscribed  for  yl  use,  and  employ  faithful  men  yl  shall  appear  to 
furnish  Timber  and  other  materials  as  shall  be  wanted  for  said 
House." 

It  will  be  observed  that  these  doings  of  the  inhabitants  of  West 
Dunstable,  before  its  boundaries  were  changed  by  the  town  charter 
of  the  next  year,  were  entirely  unanimous. 

The  number  of  names  on  the  first  Tax  List  in  the  town  of  Hollis 
in  1746  was  but  53,  —  24  less  than  in  West  Dunstable  the  year  be- 
fore—  a  part  of  this  last  number  living  on  the  east  side  of  West 
Dunstable  having  been  set  oft'  by  the  acts  of  incorporation  to  the 
new  town  of  Dunstable.  and  the  rest  of  them  on  the  north  side  to 
the  town  of  Monson. 


SECOND  MEETING  HOUSE.BTJILT  1746 


FIRST  MEETING  HOUSE. 

BUILT 


1746  tO   1750.]  THE    SECOND    MEETING-HOUSE.  65 

At  the  second  town  meeting  in  Hollis,  held  May  20,  1746, 
"  Voted  unanimously  to  take  on  us  the  obligation  to  Mr.  Emerson, 
as  it  now  stands  in  the  covenant  for  his  yearly  Salary  so  long  as  he 
remains  our  minister,  and  to  raise  £200,  O.  T.,  for  his  Salery  the 
year  ensuing."  "  Chose  Jonathan  Danforth  and  Benjamin  Farley  to 
run  ye  Line  between  Holies  and  Monson."  "Also  voted  to  peti- 
tion ye  General  Court  of  Massachusetts  Bay  for  some  Solders  We 
being  in  Gratt  Danger  from  ye  enemy."  "Also  voted  that  the 
Book  we  have  used  for  the  Parish  Records,  be  used  for  a  Town 
Book." 

The  third  meeting  of  the  town  was  called  June  13,  1746,  for  the 
following  purposes:  "To  see  if  the  town  will  build  a  House  for 
the  Public  worship  of  God."  "To  see  if  the  town  will  Accept 
the  Timber  which  is  hewn  and  drawn  together  to  build  a  House 
with,  and  chose  a  Committee  to  take  charge  of  said  Work."  "  To 
see  if  the  Town  will  accept  the  acre  of  Land  that  was  given  the 
Parish  to  Sett  the  Meeting  House  on  and  for  a  Burying  Place." 
"  To  see  if  the  town  will  vote  that  the  money  due  from  Capt.  Pow- 
ers shall  be  laid  out  in  ammunition  for  a  town  Stock."  "  To  see 
if  the  Town  will  provide  a  Pound  and  Stocks." 

At  this  meeting  the  Town  voted  as  follows : 

ist,  "  To  build  a  House  for  the  Public  Worship  of  God." 

3d,  "To  accept  the  Timber  that  was  prepared  for  said  use  to 
build  said  House  with." 

3d,  "Chose  Benjamin  Farley,  Benjamin  Blanchard,  and  Capt. 
Powers  a  Committee  to  take  care  and  see  that  said  House  is 
built." 

4th,  "  To  accept  the  Land  that  was  given  to  the  Parish  to  Sett  the 
Meeting  House  on  and  for  a  Burying  Ground." 

5th,  "That  the  Money  due  from  Capt.  Powers,  shall  be  laid  out 
to  buy  Powder,  Bullets  and  Flints  for  a  Town  Stock." 

6th,  "  To  accept  the  old  Pound  for  the  present  year  and  that  the 
Selectmen  provide  Stocks." 

It  appears  from  the  doings  of  a  Town  Meeting  held  the  same  year, 
a  few  months  later,  that  Josiah  Conant  had  been  employed  by  the 
Selectmen  to  make  the  Stocks  for  the  town,  and  that  his  account  for 
making  them  was  then  accepted. 

The  Pillory  for  the  confinement  of  the  head  and  hands  of  the 
offender,  Stocks  for  his  feet,  and  the  Whipping  Post  with  the  cat 

o1  nine  tails  for  his  back,  were  in  common  use  with  our  ancestors 

(4) 


66  THE    SECOND    MEETING-HOUSE.  [J746  to   1750, 

of  the  last  century,  for  the  punishment  of  minor  offences.  A  person. 
for  instance,  found  guilty  of  pi'ofane  swearing,  for  a  first  offence, 
was  fined  one  Shilling  —  if  not  able  to  pay,  he  was  set  in  the  town 
stocks  for  two  hours  ;  for  more  than  one  profane  oath  at  the  same 
time,  or  for  a  second  offence,  he  was  set  in  the  stocks  for  three 
hours. 

The  Hollis  Whipping  Post,  standing  on  the  west  side  of  the 
Hollis  Common,  was  in  practical  use  after  the  beginning  of  the 
present  century,  and  is  still  remembered  by  persons  now  living. 

After  the  meeting  of  the  i3th  of  June,  such  progress  was  made 
with  the  new  meeting-house,  that  a  special  town  meeting  was  called 
on  the  28th  of  the  following  July,  at  which  it  was  ''  voted  that  y* 
Meeting  House  be  raised  on  the  i3th  of  August  next  (1746). 
"Also  Voted  that  ye  Comtce  provide  Victuals  and  Drink  for  y"  Peo- 
ple on  Raising  Day,  and  bring  it  to  the  Fraim  at  noon.  If  they 
Cant  Get  it  among  our  Friends  to  Provide  it  Themselves." 

To  the  doings  of  the  last  two  meetings  there  was  a  very  earnest 
and  persistent  opposition  in  respect  to  the  location  of  the  new 
meeting-house,  and  the  building  and  raising  it  at  that  time,  by  a 
very  considerable  number  of  settlers  then  living  in  the  west  end  of 
the  town,  most  of  them  in  that  part  of  Hollis,  some  years  afterwards 
set  off"  to  the  present  town  of  Brookline.  Eight  of  these  settlers 
had  a  written  protest  against  the  proceedings  of  these  meetings  en- 
tered upon  the  town  records,  setting  forth  their  objections.  After 
the  meeting  of  the  28th  of  July,  fixing  the  "Raising  Day"  for  the 
1 3th  of  August,  thirteen  of  them  united  in  a  petition  and  complaint 
to  the  General  Court  of  New  Hampshire,  dated  August  5,  1746, 
stating  their  grievances,  and  praying  for  the  "•  Appointment  of  a 
Committee  to  view  the  situation  —  and  to  fix  upon  a  place  for  the 
Meeting-House,  and  that  the  Raising  of  it  might  be  postponed  till 
this  Committee  could  report." 

This  petition  conceded  that  the  proposed  *'  location  for  the  Meet- 
ing-House was  just  and  reasonable  for  the  Parish  of  West  Dunsta- 
ble,  as  incorporated  seven  years  before  by  the  General  Court  of 
Massachusetts,  but  that  it  was  unjust  and  unequal  for  the  town  of 
Holies  as  it  then  was.  That  by  the  late  Act  incorporating  the  town, 
above  three  miles  off'  of  the  east  end  of  the  old  parish  were  set  to 
Dunstable  bringing  the  east  line  of  Holies  within  a  mile  and  one 
half  of  the  Meeting-House  place.  That  the  west  line  of  Holies  was 
near  five  miles  from  the  Meeting-House  place,  and  some  inhabitants 


1746  to   1750.]  THE    SECOND    MEETING-HOUSE.  6/ 

already  settled  at  the  outside.  That  the  petitioners  with  others 
had  applied  to  the  Selectmen  of  Holies  to  call  another  meeting 
to  consider  the  injustice  of  this  location,  but  that  their  applica- 
tion had  been  refused.  That  if  the  Meeting-House  should  be  built 
at  the  place  proposed  it  would  discourage  settlements  in  the  west  end 
of  the  town,  but  that  when  further  settlements  should  be  made,  the 
house  would  have  to  be  pulled  down,  many  changes  made  in  the 
Highways  —  they  loaded  with  great  charges, —  and  room  left  for 
much  contention  and  disturbance." 

This  Petition  was  signed  by  Stephen  Ames,  William  Adams, 
Samuel  Douglas,  Isaac  Farrar,  James,  Joseph  and  Randall  McDan- 
iels,  John  and  Jonathan  Melvin,  Samuel  Parker,  Moses  Proctor, 
James  Whiting,  and  Jasher  Wyman.  It  was  presented  to  the  Gen- 
eral Court  by  Stephen  Ames  as  agent  of  the  Petitioners,  read,  con- 
sidered and  dismissed  by  the  House  of  Representatives  on  the  nth 
of  August,  two  days  before  "  Raising  Day,"  so  that  the  •'•Raising" 
was  not  interrupted  or  postponed. 

Afterwards,  while  the  work  on  the  new  meeting-house  was  in 
progress,  at  a  special  town  meeting  held  on  the  22d  of  Dec..  1746. 
the  town 

"  Voted  to  Raise  two  Pence  per  acre  Lawfvil  Money  a  year  on  all 
the  Land  in  the  Town  of  Holies  for  five  years  for  ye  support  of  the 
Gospel,  and  yc  Arising  charges  of  said  town,  and  to  Petition  ye 
Generall  Court  for  strength  to  Gather,  and  Get  ye  money  of  Non- 
Residents.  And  Allso  Chose  Samuel  Cumings  to  prefer  said  Pe- 
tition, and  any  other  that  may  be  thought  proper  and  beneficiall 
fory*  Town." 

Early  in  the  following  spring,  Mr.  Cumings.  as  agent  for  the 
town,  presented  to  the  General  Court  the  following  petition  for  the 
passage  of  the  proposed  law.  This  petition  may  interest  some  of 
us  at  the  present,  day,  as  clearly  and  forcibly  setting  forth  the  reasons 
that  influenced  the  people  of  the  town  in  asking  for  the  law  in- 
question,  and  also  as  showing  the  popular  sentiment  of  the  .times  irt 
respect  to  the  justice  and  policy  of  taxing  the  property  of  non-resi- 
dent landholders  for  the  support  of  ministers  and  building  meeting- 
houses. 


68  THE    SECOND    MEETING-HOUSE.  [1746  to  1750. 

COPY    OF    THE    PETITION. 

To  his  Excellency  Benning  Went- 
worth,   Esq.,   GoV.,  &c.,      The 

"Province  of  New  Hampshire   !>      ^  ^s  Majesty's  Council  & 

House  of  Representatives  in  Gen- 
Assembly  convened,  March  3il, 
1747. 

"  The  Petition  of  Sam1  Cumings  in  Behalf  of  the  Town  of  Holies, 
Humbly  Sheweth,  That  the  sd  Town  has  Lately  settled  A  Minis- 
ter and  are  now  building  a  Meeting-House  for  the  Publick  Wor- 
ship of  God  there. 

"  That  the  settlers  of  sd  Town  have  but  lately  entered  thereon, 
and  altho  a  considerable  progress  in  Agriculture  has  been  made 
(the  only  way  we  have  for  our  support)  yet  find  these  charges  very 
burthensome. 

"That  a  considerable  part  of  the  best  Lands  in  sd  Town  belong 
to  non-resident  propri"  who  make  no  Improvement. 

"  That  by  the  arduous  begining  the  settlement  &  heavy  charges 
by  us  already  paid  has  greatly  advanced  their  Lards  and  they  are 
still  rising  in  value  Equal  as  the  Resident  propri™  tho  the  charges 
hitherto  and  for  the  future  must  Lye  on  ye  settlers  only,  unless  we 
obtain  the  assistance  of  this  Honble  court." 

"  Wherefore  your  Petr  most  humbly  prays  that  yr  Excellency  and 
Honrs  would  take  the  Premises  into  consideration,  and  grant  the 
Whole  of  the  Lands  in  sd  Township  may  be  taxed  annually  for 
five  years  next  coming  two  pence  new  tenor  p.  acre  to  be  applyed 
for  the  support  of  the  minister  and  finishing  ye  Meeting-House 
and  by  Law  Enabling  us  to  collect  the  same  &  yr  Petr  as  in  Duty 
Bound  shall  pray  &c.  SAMUEL  CUMINGS." 

This  petition  was  favorably  considered  by  the  General  Court,  and 
on  the  following  i4th  of  May,  1747,  an  Act  was  passed  taxing  all 
the  lands  in  Hollis  at  two  pence  per  acre  for  the  support  of  the  min- 
ister and  finishing  the  meeting-house,  but  limiting  the  law  to  four 
years. 

In  the  meanwhile  the  work  on  the  new  edifice  went  on,  and  such 
progress  was  afterwards  made  with  the  enterprise,  that  in  about  two 
years  after  "  Raising  Day,"  a  plan  of  the  "  Pew  Ground,"  as  it  was 
called,  was  made  by  a  Committee  appointed  by  the  town  and  ac- 
cepted by  vote  of  a  town  meeting.  The  plan  of  this  Pew  Ground 
embraced  a  space  on  the  lower  floor  next  the  walls,  wide  enough 


1746  tO  I75O.]  THE    SECOND    MEETING-HOUSE.  69 

for  a  single  range  of  pews  on  each  of  the  four  sides,  and  this  space 
was  apportioned  into  sites  or  ground  for  about  20  pews.  At  a  town 
meeting  on  the  i2th  of  September,  1748,  this  Pew  Ground  was  dis- 
posed of  by  vote  of  the  town  as  follows  : 

"  Voted  that  the  highest  in  pay  on  Real  Estate  have  the  Pew 
Ground  on  their  paying  £200,  Old  Tenor,  to  be  applied  towards  fin- 
ishing the  Meeting-House  and  the  Pew  men  are  to  take  their  Pews 
for  Themselves  and  Wives,  the  man  and  his  wife  to  be  seated  ac- 
cording to  their  Pay." 

That  is,  as  I  interpret  this  record,  the  men  who  at  that  time 
paid  the  highest  taxes  on  real  estate  were  to  have  the  luxury  of  own- 
ing and  sitting  in  separate  pews,  the  wife  being  indulged  with  the 
privilege  of  sitting  in  the  same  pew  with  her  husband  upon  the  con- 
dition that  the  purchasers  of  the  pew  ground  should  build  the  walls 
of  their  pews,  and  pay  £200  Old  Tenor  towards  the  completion  of  the 
building. 

In  December,  1748,  this  pew  ground  was  disposed  of  by  lot — those 
entitled  to  do  so  drawing  for  choice.  Down  to  this  day  the  records 
of  the  town  show  the  amount  of  the  premium  paid  for  each  pew,  by 
whom  it  was  paid,  and  the  precise  location  of  each  pew  in  the 
meeting-house,  "with  the  man  and  his  wife  seated  in  it  according  to 
pay  on  Real  Estate,"  can  be  as  readily  understood  from  this  record, 
as  from  an  ocular  view.  "  Mr.  Enoch  Hunt"  drew  the  first  choice, 
paid  for  it  £14,  O.  T.,  and  chose  the  second  pew  at  the  right  hand  of 
the  pulpit.  Mr.  Elias  Smith  drew  the  second  choice,  paid  £14,  O. 
T.,  and  chose  the  second  pew  at  the  left  hand  of  the  pulpit.  "  Capt. 
Peter  Powers,"  third  choice,  paid  for  it  £13,  O.  T.,  and  chose  the 
first  pew  on  the  left  hand  of  the  front  door.  Lt.  Benjamin  Farley, 
eighth  choice,  and  took  the  third  pew  at  the  right  hand  of  the  east 
door,  and  paid  for  it£n,  O.  T.  Dr.  Samuel  Cumings,  thirteenth 
choice  ;  paid  for  it  £9,  ios.,  O.  T.,  and  took  the  first  pew  at  the  left 
hand  of  the  west  door.  And  so  of  the  others. 

The  pulpit  was  not  yet  built ;  but  at  the  annual  Town  Meeting 
in  1749  it  was  "  Voted  to  Bould  the  Pulpit  and  the  Ministerial  Pew 
and  Stars  as  soon  as  the  Bords  wold  do  to  work."  It  was  not  told 
how  soon  the  "  Bords  wold  do  to  work,"  yet  it  appears  that  when 
that  part  of  the  joiner's  work  was  first  done,  it  was  not  thought  so 
good  as  it  should  have  been,  as  I  find  at  the  annual  meeting  in  1754 
the  town  k'  Voted  that  the  Pew  before  the  Pulpit  be  taken  down,  if 
there  may  be  a  good  Hansom  Pew  for  the  town  built,  and  a 


7O  THE    SECOND    MEETING-HOUSE.  [^74^  to   1750. 

convenient  Deacons'    seat  and   good    Hansom    stairs,  to  go    to  the 
Pulpit."     At  the   above  annual   meeting  in  1749  it  was  put  to   vote 
"To   see  if  the  Town   would   build   two   Porches   to   ye  Meeting 
House,  and  it  passed  in  the  Negative." 

The  question  in  respect  to  the  building  of  porches  to  the  meeting- 
house was  many  times  discussed  in  the  town  meetings  for  the  next 
twenty  years.  But  none  were  built  till  about  the  year  1772,  when  a 
small  one  was  erected  on  the  south  side  of  the  meeting  house,  for 
passing  into  the  main  building.  One  on  the  east  side  high  and  large 
enough  for  gallery  stairs  to  the  "Women's  Gallery,"  and  one  on  the 
west  side  for  stairs  to  the  "Men's  Gallery,"  with  a  belfry  and 
steeple. 

This  ancient  second  church  edifice  of  Hollis,  as  originally  com- 
pleted, long  ago  was  dust,  and  has  passed  away  among  the  things 
that  once  were  but  are  not.  All  that  was  mortal  of  the  worthy 
people  who  built  and  worshipped  in  it  is  also  dust,  and  for  nearly  a 
century  has  reposed  in  the  humble  church-yard  hard  by.  Yet  from 
the  minutes  and  hints  preserved  by  them  in  their  town  records  it 
would  not  require  the  genius  of  a  Cuvier  or  Agassiz  to  reconstruct 
this  ancient  edifice,  both  as  to  its  interior  and  exterior,  and  to  pre- 
sent in  vivid  perspective  the  old  congregation  of  worshippers  as  it 
would  have  appeared  to  the  eye  of  a  looker-on  one  hundred  and 
twenty  years  ago. 

The  stumps  of  the  sturdy  forest  trees  that  had  grown  on  the  com- 
mon before  it,  and  in  the  burial  ground  behind,  still  stood  firmly 
rooted  in  their  native  soil.  The  roads  that  led  to  it,  freshly  cut,  and 
little  better  than  bridle  paths,  unfenced,  except  here  and  there  with 
logs  or  brushwood  through  the  scattered  and  stump-covered  clear- 
ings, wound  their  lonely  way  through  the  dense,  primeval  forest. 

The  building  itself  was  a  plain  wooden  structure,  covered  on  its 
outside  with  split  clapboards,  unpainted,  except  its  doors,  windows  . 
and  water  "Troves,"  as  yet  without  porches,  with  a  single  outside 
door  on  each  of  its  south,  east  and  west  sides ;  with  a  suitable  num- 
ber of  horse  blocks  at  convenient  distances  for  the  accommodation 
of  such  of  the  congregation  as  rode  to  meeting  upon  the  side  saddle 
or  pillion,  as  well  as  of  those  who  rode  upon  saddles  with  two 
stirrups. 

On  the  inside,  upon  the  floor  below,  around  next  to  the  four 
walls,  was  a  single  row  of  pews,  in  which,  from  Sabbath  to  Sab- 
bath were  seated  the  patriarchs  and  dignitaries  of  the  town,  the 
"  highest  in  pay  on  real  estate,"  with  their  wives  and  families. 


1746  tO   I75O.]  THE    SECOND    MEETING-HOUSE.  J I 

A  broad  aisle  leading  from  the  south  door  to  the  pulpit  and 
deacons'  seat  divided  the  remainder  of  the  lower  floor  into  the  east 
and  west  sides,  the  east  being  the  "men's  side,"  and  the  west  the 
•"  women's  side."  This  area  was  furnished  with  long  seats  for  such  as 
could  not  afford  or  were  not  permitted  to  enjoy  the  luxury  and  dis- 
tinction of  pews ;  yet  in  making  and  arranging  these  seats,  the  com- 
mittee charged  with  their  construction  were  directed  by  the  town 
meeting  to  have  them  made  and  arranged  "according  to  pay,  having 
regard  to  age." 

The  galleries  were  also  divided  between  the  sexes  in  the  same 
way  with  the  lower  floor  —  the  west  gallery  belonging  to  the 
sterner,  the  east  to  the  gentler  sex,  with  separate  flights  of  stairs  in 
the  southwest  and  southeast  corners  leading  to  each  of  them,  with 
tithing  men  above  as  well  as  below  to  note  all  graceless  irreverence 
and  indecorum — especially  in  the  youthful  portion  of  the  congre- 
gation. 

The  pulpit  was  at  the  end  of  the  broad  aisle,  on  the  north  side, 
next  the  wall,  with  a  capacious  sounding  board  raised  over  it  so  high 
that  in  after  years  it  was  ordered  by  the  town  to  be  placed  lower,  if 
"  those  who  wished  for  the  change  would  pay  the  expense  of  mak- 
ing it."  By  the  side  of  the  pulpit,  and  leading  into  it,  was  a  flight  of 
•'  Hansom  stairs,"  such  being  the  kind  voted  by  the  town.  Imme- 
diately in  front  of  the  pulpit  was  the  deacons'  seat,  where,  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  usages  and  established  proprieties  of  those  times, 
Deacons  Boynton,  Cumings,  Patch  and  Worcester,  in  their  small 
clothes,  long  hose,  knee  and  shoe  buckles,  took  their  seats  as  models 
of  gravity  and  decorum  to  all  the  lay  members  of  the  congregation. 

"  Cleanliness  ivas  said  very  long  ago  to  be  next  to  Godliness" 
and  cleanliness  in  respect  to  the  care  of  their  meeting-house  was 
cultivated  by  our  worthy  forefathers  as  diligently  as  if  it  ranked 
among  the  Christian  graces.  At  each  annual  town  meeting  a 
special  officer  was  chosen  to  take  care  of  the  meeting-house  for  the 
coming  year.  The  following  extract  from  the  town  records  of  1773 
furnishes  an  example  of  these  appointments,  and  of  the  duties  ex- 
pected to  be  performed  by  that  officer:  "Edward  Carter,  chosen 
to  take  care  of  ye  meeting-house  &  he  is  to  keep  it  well  swept  and 
clean  :  To  open  and  shut  the  Doors  in  Good  season,  and  shovell 
the  snow  from  the  Doors,  and  shovell  Paths  from  the  Doors  to  the 
Horse  Blocks,  and  clean  the  Hoi'se  Blocks  well.  He  is  to  have 
eighteen  shillings  if  done  to  the  acceptance  of  the  Town, —  if  not,  to 
have  Nothing." 


72  THE    SECOND    MEETING-HOUSE.  [J746  to   I75°- 

This  picture  of  this  ancient  edifice  cannot  be  truthfully  em- 
bellished with  stair  or  floor  carpets,  or  with  wood  or  coal  stoves  or 
furnaces,  or  with  any  other  modern  invention  for  warming  churches 
in  winter.  The  only  implement  or  convenience  for  a  like  purpose, 
then  in  use  in  country  meeting-houses,  was  the  little  portable,  tin  foot 
stove  with  its  basin  for  coals  and  ashes,  which  the  youthful  members 
of  the  congregation  were  educated  to  carry  to  meeting  in  their 
hands  for  the  use  and  comfort  of  their  parents  and  seniors.  Yet 
this  was  an  indulgence  that  popular  sentiment  did  not  seem  to  favor, 
as  is  evident  from  a  vote  of  the  town,  at  the  March  meeting  in 
1776,  of  which  a  record  was  made  in  the  following  words  :  "Voted 
that  all  Stoves  that  shall  be  left  in  the  Meeting-House  shall  be  for- 
feited to  the  Saxton  Mr.  John  Atwell  &  he  may  sell  them  if  the 
owner  shall  refuse  to  pay  1-2  a  Pistareenfor  the  first  offence  &  Doble 
that  sum  for  the  second  offence,  and  the  said  Atwell  shall  return  the 
overplus  after  he  is  paid  for  his  trouble  for  the  use  of  the  Poor  of  the 
Parish." 

Nor  are  we  able  to  garnish  our  picture  with  an  organ,  melodeon, 
bass  viol,  or  with  duets,  trios  or  quartettes,  or  with  any  choir  of 
trained  vocal  singers.  All  these  helps  and  accompaniments  of  mod- 
ern congregational  worship  were  then  unknown.  Yet  in  the  public 
devotional  exercises  of  that  day  the  use  of  hymns  and  spiritual  songs 
was  by  no  means  omitted  or  neglected,  and  the  singing  was  doubt- 
less quite  as  solemn  as  other  parts  of  the  religious  services  either  of 
those  times  or  the  present.  When  a  psalm  was  selected  from  Stern- 
hold  and  Hopkins,  or  a  hymn  from  Dr.  Watts,  it  was  slowly  read  by 
the  minister  or  senior  deacon,  one  or  at  most  two  lines  at  a  time, 
and  sung  by  the  congregation  as  read  from  the  pulpit  or  Deacons' 
seat.  When  the  reader  had  read  from  the  book,  "  Hark  from 
the  tombs  a  doleful  sound"  or,  "  My  drowsy  powers  ivhy  sleep  ye 
so  ?"  he  was  expected  to  take  a  rest  till  the  congregation  had  sung 
those  lines  before  reading  the  next.  The  congregation  in  this  wav 
would  be  quite  sure  to  have  some  conception  of  the  ideas  intended 
to  be  conveyed  by  the  words  of  the  hymn,  a  matter  quite  certain 
not  to  be  true  in  the  ordinary  opera  performances  of  the  modern 
quartette. 

The  earliest  reference  to  be  found  to  a  choir  of  singers  in  the 
town  records  is  in  the  doings  of  the  annual  town  meeting  in  1767. 
The  town  then  "  Voted  that  those  Persons  that  had  taken  pains  to 
instruct  themselves  in  singing  may  have  the  two  fore  seats  below  on 


1746  tO   I75O.]  THE    SECOND    MEETING-HOUSE.  73 

the  Men's  Side."  The  next  notice  we  find  of  singing  and  singers  is 
in  the  record  of  the  annual  meeting  in  1784.  It  was  then  "  Voted 
That  1 2  Feet  of  the  hind  Body  Seats  below  next  the  broad  Aisle  be 
appropriated  to  the  Use  of  Singers  on  condition  that  a  certain  num- 
ber of  them  will  give  the  Glass  necessary  to  repair  the  windows." 
Lastly,  in  the  year  1788,  it  was  "  Voted  That  the  Ground  now  occu- 
pied by  singers  shall  not  be  appropriated  to  any  other  use,  and  that 
the  singers  may  be  allowed  to  Sing  once  a  Day  Without  Reading." 
This  was  a  final  and  decisive  triumph  on  the  part  of  the  choir. 
Thenceforth  it  not  only  secured  toleration  from  the  town  meeting, 
but  approved  recognition  as  a  fitting  adjunct  and  help  to  public  wor- 
ship, and  also  a  place  to  sit  and  stand  in  the  church  without  the 
condition  of  paying  for  it  by  mending  broken  windows.  At  length, 
and  before  the  end  of  the  century,  the  choir  was  promoted  to  con- 
spicuous seats  in  the  front  gallery  where  it  might  sing  its  paeans  of 
victory,  and  its  songs  of  devotion  and  praise  might  be  heard  till 
this  venerable  second  meeting-house,  having  stood  for  nearly  sixty 
years,  at  last  fell  before  the  hand  of  time  and  modern  innovation, 
and  the  church  edifice  now  standing  was  erected  upon  the  same  hal- 
lowed ground. 


74  THE    ONE    PINE    HILL    CONTROVERSY. 


CHAPTER    V. 

1746  to  1773.  THE  ONE  PINE  HILL  CONTROVERSY.  ANNEXA- 
TION OF  ONE  PINE  HILL  TO  HOLLIS.  SECOND  BORDER  CON- 
TROVERSY.    DISPUTE  ABOUT  BUILDING  THE  NASHUA  RIVER 

BRIDGE.  COMPROMISE. 

The  boundaries  of  the  towns  into  which  the  parish  of  West  Dun- 
stable  was  divided  .do  not  appear  to  have  been  satisfactory  to  any 
part  of  its  early  settlers.  The  boundary  line  between  Hollis  and 
the  new  town  of  Dunstable,  as  established  along  Flint's  brook  and 
pond  and  Muddy  brook,  soon  became  the  occasion  of  a  long,  per- 
sistent and  bitter  controversy.  The  story  of  this  controversy  may 
be  best  told  by  extracts  from  the  original  documents  relating  to 
it  still  to  be  found  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  State  at  Con- 
cord. Before,  and  at  the  time  of  these  Acts  of  incorporation  into 
towns,  there  was  a  settlement  of  very  worthy  people,  consisting  of 
about  fifteen  families,  near  the  east  side  of  West  Dunstable,  and  east 
of  the  new  town  line,  known  as  ki  One  Pine  Hill"  This  settle- 
ment had  constituted  an  important  part  of  the  religious  society 
of  West  Dunstable.  The  settlers  there  had  aided  in  the  settlement 
and  support  of  Mr.  Emerson,  in  the  building  of  the  new  meeting- 
house, in  fixing  the  site  of  it  and  their  burial  ground,  and  in  the 
laying  out  and  making  the  public  roads.  In  this  settlement,  among 
other  worthy  citizens,  were  William  Cumings  and  Thomas  Patch, 
two  of  the  deacons  in  the  church  of  West  Dunstable  ;  also  the 
brothers  David  and  Samuel  Hobart,  the  first  distinguished  for  his 
gallantry  as  the  colonel  of  a  New  Hampshire  regiment  at  the  bat- 
tle of  Bennington,  and  the  latter  as  the  first  register  of  deeds  of  the 
county  of  Hillsborough,  and  a  member  of  the  New  Hampshire 
Committee  of  Safety  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  Much  to  their 
vexation  and  disappointment,  and  also  to  the  chagrin  of  the  peo- 
ple in  Hollis,  these  settlers  on  One  Pine  Hill,  found  themselves  on 


1746101763.]      THE    ONE    PINE    HILL    CONTROVERSY.  75 

the  wrong  side  of  the  town  line  and  cut  off  from  their  former  civil, 
social,  and  church  relations  with  the  settlers  of  West  Dunstable. 
The  only  meeting-house  in  Dunstable,  originally  built  for  the  ac- 
commodation of  the  settlers  south  of  the  new  province  line,  as  well 
as  of  those  north  of  it,  was  from  seven  to  eight  miles  distant  from 
the  settlers  on  One  Pine  Hill,  while  that  in  Hollis  was  less  than 
half  that  distance.  What  was  a  matter  to  them  of  still  more  im- 
portance, the  religious  society  in  Hollis  was  well  united  in  their 
popular  and  acceptable  minister  whose  orthodoxy  was  without  taint, 
while  the  society  in  Dunstable  was  distracted  with  bitter,  chronic 
dissensions,  mainly  on  account  of  the  alleged  heresy  of  their  pastor, 
the  Rev.  William  Bird,  who  was  charged  with  being  a  New  Light 
and  follower  of  Rev.  George  Whitefield. 

In  these  troubles  of  their  neighbors,  and  late  fellow  parishioners, 
it  was  very  natural  that  the  kindly  sympathies  of  -the  good  people  of 
Hollis  should  have  been  strongly  with  the  settlers  at  One  Pine  Hill. 
The  first  reference  we  find  in  this  matter  in  the  Hollis  records  is  in 
the  proceedings  of  a  town  meeting.  Oct.  26,  1747,  at  which  the 
town  "•  Voted  to  request  of  Dunstable  the  People  of  One  Pine  Hill 
with  their  Lands  to  be  set  off  to  Hollis,  and  chose  Capt.  Peter 
Powers.  Thomas  Dinsmore  and  Samuel  Cumings  to  assist  in  that 
affair,  and  Rais  Bounds  between  the  Towns."  It  is  very  evident 
from  the  sequel  of  events  that  this  very  civil  request  of  the  people 
of  Hollis  was  not  hospitably  entertained  by  their  neighbors  of 
Dunstable. 

No  further  reference  to  this  subject  is  to  be  found  in  the  Hollis 
records  till  the  annual  town  meeting  in  1756,  when  the  town  "Voted 
to  joyn  with  the  One  Pine  Hill  People,  so  called  to  get  them  set 
off  from  Dunstable  to  be  annexed  to  Holies."  Again  in  1759,  the 
town  "  voted  £50  O.  T.  for  the  assistance  of  the  People  on  the  west- 
erly side  of  Dunstable  in  their  Petition  to  be  annexed  to  Holies ;" 
and  lastly,  at  the  March  Meeting  in  1764,  '•  Voted  to  give  the  Peo- 
ple of  One  Pine  Hill,  so  called,  £200  O.  T.  towards  expenses  in 
Getting  off  from  Dunstable."  The  foregoing  votes  sufficiently  in- 
dicate the  sentiments  and  wishes  of  the  people  of  Hollis. 

We  again  recur  to  the  documents  already  referred  to,  pertaining 
to  this  controversy,  to  be  found  at  Concord.  It  will  be  seen  from 
these  papers  that  the  people  of  One  Pine  Hill,  aided  more  or  less  by 
their  helpful  allies  in  Hollis,  were  in  almost  constant  rebellion 
against  the  ecclesiastical  and  civil  authorities  of  their  own  town,  for 


76  THE    ONE    PINE    HILL    CONTROVERSY.     [1746101763. 

the  seventeen  years  from  1746  to  1763.  These  original  documents 
will  still  be  found  interesting  to  many,  not  only  as  containing  impor- 
tant and  unique  matter  of  local  town  history,  but  also  as  showing  the 
manner  and  spirit  in  which  controversies  of  this  sort  were  then  con- 
ducted. They  set  forth  very  fully  the  questions  in  dispute,  the  ar- 
guments on  each  side,  and  somewhat  of  the  evidence.  To  such  a& 
are  curions  in  such  matters,  these  papers  may  also  be  further  inter- 
esting as  affording  an  insight  into  the  temper  that  animated  the 
parties  to  this  controversy  and  the  sentiments  which  the  good  people 
of  Dunstable,  Hollis  and  One  Pine  Hill  mutually  entertained  of  the 
motives,  conduct  and  Christian  character  of  each  other. 

It  appears  from  the  town  records  of  Dunstable,  that  the  settlers 
on  One  Pine  Hill,  very  soon  after  they  found  themselves,  against 
their  wishes,  inhabitants  of  that  town,  petitioned  the  people  of 
Dunstable  for  their  consent  to  be  set  off  to  Hollis.  This  petition 
and  all  other  amicable  efforts  on  the  part  of  the  people  of  one  Pine 
Hill  were  refused  by  the  Dunstable  town  meetings. 

The  oldest  of  the  documents  above  referred  to,  as  found  in  the 
office  of  the  Secretary  of  State  at  Concord,  is  a  petition  to  the  Gov- 
ernor and  Council  in  the  spring  of  1756,  signed  by  fifteen  of  the 
settlers  on  the  west  side  of  Dunstable,  and  the  Selectmen  of  Hollis. 
In  this  Petition  these  signers  from  Dunstable  say  to  the  Governor 
and  Council, 

"  That  your  Petitioners  live  in  the  west  side  of  Dunstable  and 
so  far  from  the  Meeting-House,  that  it  is  almost  empossable  for 
us  to  attend  the  Publick  Worship  of  God  there,  for  some  of  us  live 
71-2  miles  and  the  neai'est  51-2  miles  from  the  Meeting-House  so 
that  we  Can't  and  Don't  go  to  Meeting  there  *  *  *  *  for  they 
have  set  their  Meeting-House  to  accommodate  them  Selves,  and 
seem  not  in  the  least  to  Regard  us  only  to  get  our  Money.  Our 
Difficulties  are  so  exceeding  gi'eat  that  make  us  Dispair  of  having 
any  comfortable  reviving  Gospel  Priviledges  unless  we  can  obtain 
the  aid  of  your  Excellency  and  Honnors." 

"Wherefore  your  Petitioners  pray  that  your  Excellency  and 
Honnors  would  so  far  Compassionate  our  Circumstances  as  to  Re- 
lieve us  by  setting  us  with  our  Land  to  Holies  to  which  we  once 
belonged  and  helped  settei  our  Minister  and  now  go  to  attend  the 
Publick  Worship  of  God.  *  *  The  furthest  of  us  from  Holies  is 
not  more  than  31-2  or  4  miles,  and  the  bigest  part  about  2  1-2  or 
3  miles  to  which  we  can  go  with  some  degree  of  comfort.  We 


1746101763-]     THE    ONE    PINE    HILL    CONTROVERSY.  77 

therefore  pray  *  *  that  you  would  be  pleased  to  annex  us  to 
Holies  with  about  2500  acres  of  Land  which  wee  have  described  in 
a  Plan,  which  will  greatly  relieve  us,  *  *  and  help  us  to  a  Com- 
fortable Injoyment  of  Gospel  Priviledges.  *  *  And  as  in  Duty 
Bound,  &c.  Signed  : 

JOHN  WILLOUGHBY  NICHOLAS  YOUNGMAN  DAVID  HOBART 

ELNATHAN  BLOOD  GERSHOM  HOBART  NEHEMIAH  WOODS 

JOHN  PHELPS  JONATHAN  HOBART  WILLIAM  CUMINGS 

JOHN  MOOAR  AMOS  PHILLIPS  JOSEPH  FARLEY 

BENJAMIN  PARKER,  SAMUEL  HOBART  ANNA  PATCH 

SAMUEL  CUMINGS  ] 

SAMUEL  GOODHUE  ?  Selectmen  of  Holies." 

ENOCH  NOYES        J 

Upon  being  notified  of  this  Petition,  the  people  of  Dunstable 
promptly  met  in  town  meeting  and  "  Voted  not  to  set  off  the  land 
and  inhabitants  of  One  Pine  Hill  to  Holies  "  and  appointed  Col. 
Joseph  Blanchard,  with  two  others,  a  committee  to  oppose  the  pe- 
tition. Col.  Blanchard  at  the  time  was  a  member  of  the  N.  H. 
Council,  and  made  the  answer  to  the  Petition  on  the  part  of  Dun- 
stable.  In  this  answer  he  stated  that  "  About  1736,  (9?)  the  old 
town  of  Dunstable  was  divided  into  two  parishes.  That  what  was 
then  Holies  &  Monson  with  a  part  of  Dunstable  and  Merrymac  was 
the  West  parish  and  contained  about  70,000  acres."  That  they  had 
an  annual  tax  of  zd.  per  acre  for  four  years  on  the  Land  of  non- 
residents to  build  a  meeting-house  and  support  a  minister,  and  an 
after  tax  of  about  the  same  amount.  More  than  was,  needed  for  it, 
but  they  disposed  of  it  all  or  divided  it.  That  in  1741  the  Province 
Line  was  run  leaving  about  2-3  of  the  Inhabitants  and  Estates  of 
the  East  Parish  in  Massachusetts.  *  * 

"  On  examination  we  find  that  Holies  *  *  is  about  eight  miles 
in  length  East  and  West  and  about  four  and  a  half  miles  North  and 
South  *  *  settled  at  each  end.  Some  time  after  their  Incorporation 
Holies  set  up  a  Meeting-House  with  a  part  of  the  money  we  and 
others  paid  for  that  use,  and  sett  it  about  a  mile  and  a  half  from  their 
East  line  Regardless  of  the  complaints  of  the  Inhabitants  on  the 
Westerly  part,  so  that  many  of  them  are  eight  milesTfrom  their 
meeting,  as  they  must  travil,  much  further  than  any  in  Dunstable  are 
from  our  meeting-house. 

"  Wee  are  sencible  that  this  vexatious  Petition  is  stirred  up  and 
encouraged  by  Holies  purely  to  prevent  Justice  to  their  Western  In- 
habitants which  they  foresee  will  obtain  unless  they  can  Cloak  it  by 
Ruininsr  Dunstable. 


78  THE    ONE    PINE    HILL    CONTROVERSY.      [1746101763. 


"  What  Genius  gave  themy/'o«/  to  mutter  out  this  Motley  Petition 
it  is  Difficult  to  guess. 

•'  The  Pretentions  of  Holies  and  the  Pet"*  are  totally  Groundless 
Wherefore  we  pray  that  their  Petition  may  be  dismissed. 

Signed  JOSEPH  BLANCHARD,      ^ 

ZACCHEUS  LOVEWELL,   >  Aets  for  Dunstable. 

I 
JOSEPH  FRENCH 

I  do  not  find  in  the  records  at  Concord  how  or  when  the  above 
petition  was  disposed  of.  It  is  evident  however  that  it  was  not 
granted.  It  was  said  in  the  answer  of  Dunstable  to  a  like  petition 
a  few  years  later,  that  when  it  was  found  that  Dunstable  would 
answer  it,  the  petitioners  were  afraid  or  ashamed  to  appear  in  its 
defence.  In  the  fall  of  1760  the  settlers  at  One  Pine  Hill  again  pe- 
titioned Dunstable  for  permission  to  be  set  off  to  Hollis,  at  this 
time  offering  to  pay  to  Dunstable  £1500,  O.  T..  for  the  privilege. 
A  town  meeting  was  called  in  Dunstable  to  consider  this  offer, 
which  was  promptly  rejected,  the  town  voting  at  the  same  time 
"  not  to  change  their  Meeting-House  Place." 

After  this  last  defeat  open  hostilities  were  suspended  till  the 
spring  of  1763-  when  the  contest  was  renewed  and  a  second  peti- 
tion presented  to  the  General  Court  by  Col.  Samuel  Hobart  as  at- 
torney for  the  settlers  at  One  Pine  Hill. 

In  this  petition  Col.  Hobart  says  that  '•  about  the  year  1747  (?). 
(1746),  a  Committee  of  five,  two  of  them  from  Dunstable,  was  ap- 
pointed by  the  Governor  &c.,  to  view  the  Lands  about  Merrymac 
River  to  see  in  what  manner  it  was  Best  to  Bound  them  in  the  In- 
corporations, *  *  that  this  Committee  went  no  Farther  Westward 
than  the  Old  Town  of  Dunstable.  That  a  Com'"  came  down  from 
Holies,  and  desired  this  Comtee  to  go  and  view  the  Situation  at 
Holies  and  One  Pine  Hill,  and  urged  it  hard.  But  the  Comtee  could 
not  be  prevailed  on  to  go  any  further  that  way,  (the  opposition  we 
judge  being  made  by  Dunstable).  *  *  Soon  after  Dunstable  was 
Incorporated  they  got  into  Partys  about  Settling  Mr.  Bird.  Each 
Party  Courted  Pine  Hill's  Assistance,  promising  to  vote  them  oft 
to  Holies  as  soon  as  the  matter  was  settled  :  and  so  Pine  Hill  was 
fed  with  Sugar  Plums  for  a  number  of  years,  till  at  length  Dunsta- 
ble cast  off  the  mask  and  now  appears  in  their  True  Colours. 

*  *  Under  the  Government  of  Massachusetts  we  belonged  to 
Holies,  and  helpt  Build  a  large  Meeting-House  and  it  was  set  to 


1 746  tO  1763-]     THE    ONE    PINE    HILL    CONTROVERSY.  79 

accommodate  us,  and  helpt  settle  a  minister  not  in  the  least  Doubt- 
ing but  we  should  always  belong  there."  *  * 

"  We  have  ever  since  attended  the  Public  Worship  of  God  at 
Holies  and  paid  our  Taxes  to  the  Minister  there,  tho.  in  the  mean 
time  we  have  been  called  on  to  pay  Ministerial  Rates  with  Dunsta- 
ble in  full  proportion,  except  some  trifling  abatement  they  made  us 
to  keep  us  quiet.  We  know  of  no  other  Real  objection  that  Dun- 
stable  has  to  our  going  oft*,  but  reducing  them  to  too  small  a  num- 
ber to  maintain  the  Gospel.  But  if  their  Inclinations  can  be  judged 
by  their  practice  it  can't  be  tho't  that  they  have  any  inclination  to 
settle  a  minister  *  *  Dunstable  as  it  lyes  now  consists  of  about 
i  oo  Families  *  *  All  we  ask  to  be  set  oft"  is  but  about  twelve.  * 
*  So  that  their  opposition  must  arise  from  some  other  quarter  to 
keep  us  as  whips  to  drive  out  every  minister  that  comes  among 
them,  for  they  are  always  divided  and  which  side  we  take  must 
carry  the  Day." 

The  Selectmen  of  Dunstable,  on  being  notified  of  this  petition,  at 
once  called  a  town  meeting  which  voted  to  continue  their  defence, 
and  appointed  a  committee  of  three  to  answer  the  petition. 

This  answer  begun  with  the  assertion  that  this  "  Complaint  of  the 
People  of  One  Pine  Hill  was  groundless  and  unreasonable.  *  * 
As  to  Dunstable  Meeting-House  which  Petitioners  complain  of  as 
being  at  so  great  a  distance  from  them,  it  was  owing  to  themselves 
—  for  many  of  them  voted  to  have  it  where  it  is  —  and  none  of  them 
against  it.  *  *  That  they  so  acted  and  voted  for  fear  it  might  be 
moved  to  a  place  more  just  and  equal  and  so  they  be  prevented  from 
being  set  oft'  to  Holies.  *  *  As  in  Times  past  so  they  are  now 
stired  up  by  some  Holies  People  to  bring  this  petition  in  order  to 
uphold  the  unjust  Proceedings  of  Holies  in  setting  their  meeting- 
house where  it  is.  *  *  And  now  Holies  are  endeavoring  to  have 
the  south  part  of  Monson  anexed  to  them,  and  should  that  be  don 
and  also  the  Westerly  half  of  Dunstable  then  their  meeting-house 
where  it  now  is  will  be  aboute  right.  So  could  it  now  be  obtained 
to  breake  up  and  ruin  two  Towns  it  may  hereafter  be  something  of 
a  cover  to  hide  the  iniquity  of  Holies  and  help  the  private  interests  of 
some  mercenary  persons,  but  can't  possably  promote  the  Public 
Good  nor  help  the  Interest  of  these  Towns." 

The  case  was  argued  on  both  sides,  and  the  evidence  and  argu- 
ments convinced  the  General  Court  that  One  Pine  Hill  with  it» 
Inhabitants  ought  no  longer  to  remain  a  part  of  Dunstable.  Ac- 
cordingly, on  the  1 3th  of  December,  1763,  an  act  was  passed. 


8O  THE    ONE    PINE    HILL    CONTROVERSY.     [1746101763. 

entitled,  "  An  Act  Annexing  One  Pine  Hill  to  Holies."  This  act 
was  prefaced  by  a  preamble  in  which  it  was  stated  "  That  sundry 
inhabitants  of  Dunstable  had  petitioned  the  General  Assembly, 
stating  that  they  were  more  conveniently  situated  to  belong  to 
Holies  than  to  Dunstable  —  That  Dunstable  is  large,  rich  and  able 
to  spare  them  —  which  reasons  and  the  arguments  and  objections 
having  been  duly  weighed,  and  it  appearing  reasonable  to  grant  the 
Petition.  *  *  Therefore  be  it  enacted,  &c." 

Then  follows  a  description  of  the  part  of  Dunstable  to  be  annexed 
to  Hollis,  in  accordance  with  a  survey  and  plan  made  by  Samuel 
Cumings,  the  surveyor  for  Hollis  and  now  at  Concord.  In  running 
this  new  east  line  of  the  town  this  survey  begun  at  the  Pine  tree 
standing  on  the  hill  called  One  Pine  Hill,  thence  south  13  1-2°,  west 
372  rods  to  Nashua  river.  The  line  was  then  run  northerly,  begin- 
ning again  at  the  same  Pine  tree,  one  mile  and  225  rods  —  thence 
westwardly  one  mile  and  23  rods  to  the  northeast  corner  of  Hollis 
as  chartered  in  1746  —  thus  taking  from  Dunstable  all  that  part  of 
Hollis  as  it  now  is,  east  of  Flint's  brook  and  pond  and  Muddy 
brook. 

This  once  famous  pine  tree,  thus  made  to  mark  the  boundary  of 
the  belligerent  towns,  and  which  gave  its  name  to  One  Pine  Hill,  is 
now  no  more.  It  is  said  to  have  been  a  tall,  straight  pitch  pine,  near 
a  hundred  feet  high,  with  no  other  tree  of  its  species  near  it,  stand- 
ing solitary  and  alone  on  the  summit  of  the  hill.  In  early  times,  be- 
ing conspicuous  in  all  directions  for  a  long  distance,  it  served  as  a 
beacon  to  mark  a  place  of  rendezvous  for  backwoodsmen  and  deer- 
hunters,  whose  names  in  scores  were  cut  in  its  bark,  from  its  roots 
many  feet  upward. 

Thus  at  last  ended  by  conquest  the  war  between  Dunstable  and 
One  Pine  Hill  and  its  ever  faithful  allies  of  Hollis,  a  war  which  had 
lasted,  with  varied  fortune,  nearly  twice  as  long  as  the  siege  of  Troy 
—  more  than  twice  as  long  as  our  war  of  the  Revolution,  and,  sad 
tov  tell,  no  Homer  has  yet  sung  its  heroes  —  no  Marshall  told  its 
history. 

SECOND       BORDER      TROUBLE      WITH      DUNSTABLE,      NASHUA      RIVER 
BRIDGE,     COMPROMISE. 

A  second  border  trouble,  in  respect  to  the  boundary  between 
Hollis  and  Dunstable,  began  soon  after  the  conquest  of  One  Pine 
Hill.  This  controversy  grew  out  of  a  question  in  respect  to  the 
support  of  an  expensive  bridge  across  the  Nashua  river,  in  the 


1746  tO  1763.]         SECOND    BORDER    CONTROVERSY.  8l 

south-east  part  of  Hollis,  near  the  place  in  the  Hollis  Records  at 
first  called  "  Lawrence's  Mills,"  afterwards  "Jaquith's,"  and  in  our 
times  known  as  "  Runnell's  Mills."  A  bridge  at  this  place  was  very 
necessary  to  the  people  of  Hollis,  being  on  their  main  road  to  mar- 
ket ;  but  much  less  needed  by  Dunstable.  So  indispensable  was 
this  bridge  to  Hollis,  that  in  1740,  as  we  have  seen,  provision  was 
made  for  building  it  out  of  the  "  non-resident  tax  of  zd.  per  acre  " 
granted  by  the  parish  charter  for  the  support  of  the  ministry.  But 
^hat  tax  being  lost,  with  the  parish  charter,  I  do  not  find  sufficient 
evidence  that  any  bridge  was  built  at  that  place  till  many  years  after 
the  charter  of  Hollis  and  Dunstable  as  towns.  These  charters,  as 
has  been  seen,  made  the  Nashua  river  from  the  Province  line  to 
Flint's  Brook  the  boundary  of  the  two  towns  ;  the  south  line  of  Dun- 
stable  beginning  at  Merrimack  river,  and  running  on  the  Province 
line  "to"  the  Nashua,  and  the  south  line  of  Hollis,  beginning  "a/" 
the  Nashua,  and  running  westwardly  on  the  Province  line  six  miles 
and  ninety-six  rods.  A  New  Hampshire  court  in  these  times  would 
have  probably  held  that  this  charter  descriptive  6T  this  boundary 
would  have  divided  the  river  equally  between  the  two  towns,  leaving 
the  town  line  in  the  middle  or  thread  oi  the  stream,  instead  of  on  its 
banks,  and  each  town  under  equal  obligation  to  build  the  bridge. 
But  we  shall  see  by  and  by  that  the  town  meetings  in  Hollis  and 
Dunstable  did  not  take  this  view  of  the  law. 

In  the  early  Hollis  records  there  are  many  references  to  this 
bridge,  and  to  the  troubles  in  respect  to  it.  The  first  of  these  is 
found  in  the  record  of  the  March  meeting,  in  1751  when  the  town 
voted  to  help  build  a  bridge  "across  Nashua  river  near  Dea.  Cum- 
ings.*'  From  this  vote  it  is  evident  that  the  bridge  had  not  been 
then  built,  and  that  Dunstable  was  expected  to  help  build  it. 

At  the  annual  meeting  in  1756,  Hollis  "  chose  Capt.  Peter  Pow- 
ers, Samuel  Cumings  and  Benjamin  Abbott  a  Comtee  to  see  if  Dun- 
stable  will  joyn  with  Holies  to  bould  a  Bridge  over  Nashua  river  in 
some  convenant  Place  where  the  Road  is  laid  out  from  Holies  to 
Dunstable."  It  seems  that  Dunstable  did  not  accept  this  invitation 
of  the  Hollis  committee,  for  it  is  found  that  a  special  town  meeting 
in  Hollis,  in  1760,  chose  a  "committee  to  Petition  the  Generall 
Court  for  a  Lottery  to  Bould  a  Bridge  over  Nashua  river  if  they 
thinkfit."  But  the  "Generall"  Court  did  not  "  think  fit"  to  grant  a 
Lottery,  as  it  appears  that  at  the  annual  meeting  in  1761,  the  town 
without  calling  on  Dunstable  for  help  "  Voted  to  have  a  Bridge 
(6) 


82  SECOND    BORDER    CONTROVERSY.          [^74^  to   1763.- 

built  over  Nashua  river  near  Lawrence's  Mills,"  and  chose  a  com- 
mittee to  obtain  subscriptions  for  it.  The  next  year,  1762,  the  town 
"  Voted  to  raise  Money  to  pay  for  the  Building  of  the  Bridge  over 
Nashua  river  the  Money  to  be  redukted  out  of  the  cost  of  the 
Bridge  that  was  subscribed  out  of  town."  From  this  vote  it  is  evi- 
dent that  as  early  as  1762  a  bridge  had  been  built  across  the  Nashua 
river  mainly,  if  not  wholly,  by  Hollis.  In  May,  1765,  at  a  special 
town  meeting,  the  town  -'Voted  to  Rebuild  or  Repair  the  Bridge 
over  Nashua  river,  and  that  the  £800  voted  at  the  March  Meeting 
for  Making  and  Mending  the  Roads  be  laid  out  in  Building  and  Re- 
pairing the  Bridge."  From  the  above  vote  I  infer  that  the  bridge 
built  in  1762  was  either  washed  away  wholly  in  the  spring  of  1765, 
or  so  much  injured  as  to  need  costly  repairs.  Though,  in  the  lan- 
guage of  the  law,  "  often  requested,"  the  town  of  Dunstable,  as  it 
seems,  had  given  no  aid  in  supporting  this  bridge,  and  the  question 
of  the  legal  liability  of  that  town  to  aid  in  it  was  allowed  to  sleep 
till  the  annual  meeting  in  Hollis  in  March,  1772.  At  that  meeting, 
in  pursuance  of  an  article  in  the  warrant,  the  town  "Voted  to  ap- 
point a  committee  to  ask  for  and  recover  of  Dunstable  a  share  of 
the  Cost  of  Building  and  Repairing  the  Bridge  across  Nashua 
River  near  Jaquith's  Mills  with  power  to  prosecute  if  necessary." 

This  request  of  the  people  of  Hollis,  upon  being  submitted  by  the 
committee  to  a  town  meeting  in  Dunstable,  in  the  month  of  June 
following,  was  curtly  rejected,  and  it  was  "  Voted  that  Dunstable 
would  not  do  anything  towards  building  a  bridge  over  Nashua 
river." 

But  it  fortunately  so  happened  that  not  far  from  this  time,  the 
Mills  before  known  as  "Lawrence's  Mills,"  had  become  the  prop- 
erty of  Ebenezer  Jaquith.  This  Mr.  Jaquith  and  Ensign  Daniel 
Merrill  lived  in  the  bend  of  Nashua  river  on  the  Dunstable  side, 
their  two  farms  containing  about  500  acres,  and  comprising  all  the 
land  in  this  bend.  These  men  were  nearer  to  the  meeting-house 
in  Hollis  than  to  that  in  Dunstable,  and  like  the  saintly  and  sensible 
settlers  on  One  Pine  Hill,  wished  to  be  annexed  to  Hollis  and  were 
willing  to  pay  something  for  the  privilege.  With  these  new  facts 
in  view,  and  the  long  and  costly  contest  for  the  conquest  of  One 
Pine  Hill  not  yet  forgotten,  a  special  town  meeting  was  called  in 
Hollis  in  December,  1772,  at  which  it  was  "Voted  that  whereas, 
there  is  a  dispute  with  respect  to  the  Bridge  over  Nashua  river  be- 
tween Holies  and  Dunstable,  and  whereas  Messrs.  Merrill  and  Ja- 


1746  tO   1763.]         SECOND    BORDER    CONTROVERSY.  85 

quith  live  more  convenient  to  Holies  than  Dunstable,  and  are  wil- 
ling to  pay  something  handsome  towards  the  Building  of  said 
Bridge,  and  also  considering  the  expense  of  Suits  at  Law  in  the 
Premises  —  now  in  order  to  an  amicable  settlement  of  the  matter, 
and  for  the  Preservation  and  Cultivation  of  Harmony  between  said 
Towns— Voted  to  accept  said  Families  with  their  Lands,  Provided 
Dunstable  shall  lay  them  off  to  us  and  assist  in  an  amicable  man- 
ner to  get  them  incorporated  with  us.  Also  Voted  that  Samuel 
Hobart,  Dea.  Noyes  and  William  Nevins  be  a  Committee  to  treat 
with  Dunstable  on  Bridge  Affairs."  The  Hollis  Committee  soon 
communicated  these  amicable  terms  of  peace  to  the  Selectmen  of 
Dunstable.  who  upon  their  receipt,  summoned  a  town  meeting  of 
their  constituents,  by  whom  these  neighborly  overtures  were  dis- 
ddinfully  rejected  and  the  meeting  "Voted  that  the  people  of  Dun- 
stable  would  not  pay  anything  towards  the  Building  of  the  Bridge, 
nor  would  they  consent  to  annex  any  more  Land  to  Holies." 

In  the  meanwhile  the  legal-  advisers  of  Hollis,  "  learned  in  the 
law,"  upon  the  examination  of  the  charters  of  the  two  towns,  had 
expressed  the  opinion  that  Nashua  river,  where  it  flowed  between 
Hollis  and  Dunstable,  was  not  in  any  part  in  either  town,  and  that 
neither  town  was  under  any  obligation  to  build  a  bridge  across  it. 
This  opinion  in  respect  to  the  law  with  the  proposed  remedy  is  set 
forth  in  the  following  preamble  and  resolution,  adopted  at  a  town 
meeting  of  Hollis,  Jan.  20,  1773,  called  to  consider  the  report  of 
their  Peace  Ambassadors  to  Dunstable. 

"  Whereas  it  appears  by  the  charters  of  Dunstable  and  Holies, 
that  Nashua  River  is  not  in  either  town  —  That  it  is  highly  necessary 
that  a  Bridge  be  erected  over  said  River,  but  that  neither  Town 
is  obliged  by  Law  to  make  or  maintain  the  same  —  and  Dunstable 
manifesting  an  unwillingness  to  do  anything  respecting  the  Building 
of  a  Bridge  —  therefore,  voted  that  William  Nevins  be  agent  of  the 
Town  to  Petition  the  Governor  and  Council  and  General  Assembly 
that  Dunstable  and  Holies  may  be  connected  so  that  a  Bridge  may 
be  built  over  said  River." 

Again  at  the  annual  town  meeting  in  Hollis,  in  1773,  Col.  John 
Hale,  William  Nevins  and  Ensign  Stephen  Ames  were  chosen  to 
represent  the  matter  in  respect  to  the  bridge,  to  the  Governor  and 
Council. 

This  proposal  to  appeal  to  the  General  Court,  or  Governor  and 
Council,  very  soon  had  the  effect  to  render  the  people  of  Dunstable 


84  SECOND    BORDER    CONTROVERSY.          [^74^  to  1763. 

more  placable,  and  more  ready  to  accept  the  treaty  of  peace 
offered  by  Hollis  the  year  before.  The  choice  of  evils  now  pre- 
sented was  another  trial  of  their  border  troubles  before  the  General 
Court  or  the  acceptance  of  the  proposed  compromise,  and  it  is 
manifest  from  the  doings  of  a  town  meeting  in  Hollis  on  the  ensuing 
1 8th  of  March,  that  Dunstable  had  voted  to  submit  to  the  least  of  the 
two  evils.  At  this  meeting  Hollis  voted 

*'  To  extend  the  easterly  line  of  Holies  so  far  east  as  to  include 
Messrs.  Merrill  and  Jaquith  with  their  Improvements,  provided  it 
shall  be  done  without  expense  to  the  Town,  and  that  Dea.  Boynton, 
Reuben  Dow  and  Samuel  Cumings  be  a  committee  to  agree  with 
Dunstable  in  respect  to  Boundaries." 

At  a  town  meeting  on  the  following  i2th  of  April  this  committee 
made  report  as  follows  : 

"We  have  met  the  Dunstable  committee  and  have  mutually 
agreed  that  the  Easterly  Line  of  Holies  shall  be  extended  Eastward- 
ly  to  the  following  Bounds :  To  Begin  at  a  Stake  and  Stones 
fifteen  Rods  below  Buck  Meadow  Falls,  at  the  River,  which  is  Mr. 
Jaquith's  northerly  corner  ;  Thence  running  southerly  in  a  straight 
line  to  a  Pine  tree  on  the  River  Bank  which  is  Mr.  Jaquith's  south- 
westerly corner.  April  8,  i773-" 

This  report  was  accepted  by  the  town,  and  afterwards,  in  the 
month  of  May,  1773,  at  the  joint  request  of  Hollis  and  Dunstable, 
the  General  Court  passed  an  act  establishing  the  boundary  line  be- 
tween the  two  towns  as  so  agreed  upon,  where  it  has  remained  un- 
disturbed from  that  day  to  this.  These  terms  of  settlement,  though 
.at  first  not  willingly  accepted  by  Dunstable,  were  exceedingly  favor- 
able to  that  town,  and  ought  to  have  been  ample  satisfaction  for  the 
loss  of  One  Pine  Hill.  It  is  true  that  Dunstable  came  out  of  the 
controversy  short  of  500  acres  of  territory,  but  in  return  for  this  loss, 
that  town  was  relieved  from  the  burden  of  aiding  in  maintaining 
this  bridge  in  all  future  time  ;  a  charge  that  has  already  cost  Hollis 
much  more  than  the  value  of  all  the  land  so  annexed. 


HISTORY    OF   MONSON.  85 


CHAPTER    VI. 

HISTORY    OF    MONSON. TOWN     OFFICERS. EFFORTS   TO    MAINTAIN 

PREACHING   AND     BUILD    A   MEETING-HOUSE,  ETC. REPEAL   OF 

CHARTER. THE     MILE     SLIP. CHARTERS     OF     RABY,     WILTON, 

MASON   AND    DUXBURY. — MILFORD. 1746    TO    1794. 

The  ancient,  now  extinct  town  of  Monson,  incorporated  April  ir 
1746,  was  bounded,  as  we  have  seen,  on  the  north  by  the  Souhegan 
river,  and  south  by  Hollis.  Its  corporate  existence  lasted  for  twen- 
ty-four years,  during  which  time  it  regularly  held  its  annual  town 
meetings,  elected  its  moderators,  town  clerks,  selectmen,  tithingmen, 
hogreeves,  deerkeepers  and  other  town  officers,  but  I  am  pained  to 
say  that  I  find  no  evidence  that  it  ever  had  a  school,  school  house, 
meeting-house  or  a  "learned  orthodox  minister,"  or  a  minister  not 
orthodox.  The  only  public  structure  ever  owned  by  the  town  was 
a  pound,  built  for  the  confinement  of  disorderly  cattle.  Its  first 
town  meeting  was  held  May  i,  1746,  under  the  direction  of  Col. 
Joseph  Blanchard,  as  provided  in  the  charter,  Col.  Blanchard  being 
moderator.  At  this  meeting  town  officers  were  chosen  as  follows : 

ROBERT  COLBURN,  Town  Clerk  SAMUEL  LEEMAN,  Surveyor  of  Highways 

BENJAMIN   HOPKINS')  ABRAHAM  LEEMAN,  Hogreeve 

ROBERT  COLBURN       I  Selectmen  JOHN  BURNS  ) 

WILLIAM  NEVINS      j  JAMES  WHEELER  j    Fence  Viewer* 
THOMAS  NEVINS,  Constable 

At  this  meeting  the  town  voted  to  build  a  pound,  and  also  "  to 
buy  a  suteable  Book  to  Record  Votes  in,'  and  other  things  as  the 
town  shall  see  meet." 

During  the  twenty-four  and  one-half  years  of  the  corporate  exist- 
ence of  Monson,  I  find  from  the  record  of  votes  kept  in  this  "  sute- 
able Book,"  that  the  persons  named  in  the  following  lists  were  chosen 
at  the  annual  town  meetings  to  the  respective  offices  of  moderator* 
town  clerk  and  selectmen,  the  number  of  times  set  opposite  their 
names.  Moderator, — William  Nevins,  twelve  times ;  Benjamin 


86  HISTORY    OK    MONSON.  [^4^  to   I77O. 

Hopkins,  seven  times ;  Robert  Colburn  and  Benjamin  Kenrick, 
twice  each ;  Nathan  Hutchinson,  once.  Town  Clerk — Robert 
Colburn,  thirteen  times  ;  Benjamin  Kenrick,  nine  times  ;  Archelaus 
Towne,  three  times.  Selectmen — Robert  Colburn,  fifteen  times ; 
William  Nevins,  fourteen  times  ;  Benjamin  Hopkins  and  Benjamin 
Kenrick,  ten  times  each  ;  Nathan  Hutchinson,  six  times  ;  Josiah 
Crosby,  four  times  ;  John  Brown  and  Archelaus  Towne,  three  times 
each  ;  Daniel  Kenrick  and  Samuel  Leeman,  twice  each  ;  Thomas 
Burns,  Benjamin  Farley,  Joseph  Gould,  William  Jones,  Thomas 
Nevins  and  Jonathan  Taylor,  once  each. 

At  the  time  Monson  was  chartered,  the  French  and  Indian  War, 
(begun  in  1744,)  was  still  raging.  A  petition  dated  May  13,  1747' 
presented  by  the  inhabitants  of  Monson  to  the  New  Hampshire 
General  Court  for  soldiers  for  a  guard,  shows  the  extent  and  condi- 
tion of  the  settlement  at  that  time.  This  petition  has  fourteen  names 
appended  to  it,  probably  those  of  all  the  householders  then  in  the 
town.  In  this  petition  they  say  : 

"  That  the  town  has  just  begun  to  settle,  and  but  about  fifteen 
families  there — That  they  are  one  of  the  Frontier  Towns  West  of  the 
Merrimack  River  and  the  most  northerly  one  already  incorporated, 
lying  between  Holies  and  the  new  Plantation  called  Souhegan  West. 
Could  we  be  assisted  by  soldiers  in  such  competent  numbers  as 
might  enable  us  to  Defend  our  Selves,  we  shall  chearfully  endeavor 
to  stay  there  by  which  we  shall  serve  as  a  Barrier  in  part  to  Holies, 
Merrimack  and  Dunstable.  That  last  year  we  were  Favored  by 
Soldiers  from  the  Massachusetts  that  prevented  our  Drawing  ofF."  *  * 

In  answer  to  this  petition,  and  one  similar  to  it  from  Souhegan 
West,  (now  Amherst)  the  General  Court  gave  orders  for  the  raising 
of  "fifteen  good  effective  men  to  scout  and  guard  Souhegan  West  and 
Monson  till  the  23d  of  the  following  October." 

A  petition  of  the  selectmen  of  Monson  to  the  General  Court,  six 
years  later,  dated  April  25,  1753,  asking  that  the  inhabitants  might 
be  relieved  from  the  payment  of  Province  taxes,  tells  the  story  of  the 
sad  financial  condition  of  the  settlers  at  that  time.  In  this  petition 
the  selectmen  tell  the  General  Court  that  there  were  then  in  Monson, 

"But  thirty-six  Poles  in  the  whole,  severall  of  them  transiently 
hired  for  a  short  space  to  Labor,  *  *  without  any  Estate.  But 
twenty-one  Houses,  chiefly  small  cottages  only,  for  a  present  shel- 
ter, the  charge  of  Building  yet  to  come  on.  That  they  are  all  plain 
men  Dwelling  in  these  Tents  ;  Husbandry  their  employment,  their 


1746  tO  1770.]  HISTORY    OF    MONSON.  87 

Improvements  very  small,  their  Lands  yet  to  Subdue.  The  Prog- 
ress much  retarded  by  the  necessity  to  work  out  of  town  the  prime 
part  of  the  year  *  *  to  procure  Provisions.  *  *  The  few  set- 
lers  are  scattered  all  ab'  the  Town.  Much  Labour  has  &  must  be 
spent  in  making  and  opening  Roads  and  Bridges  *  *  a  burthen 
too  heavy  for  the  small,  weak  number  that  is  there.  *  *  *  They 
therefore  apprehend  themselves  utterly  unable  to  Bear  any  Portion 
of  the  Publick  Taxes,  as  yet,  *  *  but  hope  that  their  small  Be- 
gining  in  Time  may  become  usefull  if  they  may  be  nurssed  and 
favoured  now  in  their  Infancy." 

What,  if  anything,  was  done  by  the  General  Court  in  answer  to 
this  pathetic  petition,  in  respect  to  "  nurssing"  the  infant  suppliant, 
does  not  appear  in  the  Provincial  records. 

SCHOOLS,  PREACHING,  MEETING-HOUSE  AND  MEETING-HOUSE  PLACE. 

It  is  shown  by  the  records  of  the  doings  of  the  annual  town  meet- 
ings in  Monson  that  the  attention  of  the  inhabitants  was  many  times 
called  to  all  of  these  topics,  but  always  in  vain. 

Schools.  An  article  first  appeared  in  the  warrant  for  the  annual 
town  meeting  in  i753>  "  To  see  if  the  town  would  raise  a  sum  of 
money  for  a  school?"  "Passed  in  the  negative."  The  like  articles 
were  inserted  in  the  warrants  for  the  annual  town^meetings  in  1756 
and  1760,  and  in  each  year,  as  before,  "passed  in  the  negative." 
After  1 760,  I  do  not  find  that  any  effort  was  made^for  a  tax  either 
for  a  school-house  or  school. 

Preaching.  In  the  year  1749,  I751'  I752">  *754  ano-  *757'  *ne 
question  of  raising  a  tax  for  the  "support  of  Preaching  amongst 
them"  was  brought  before  the  annual  town  meetings,  and  each  year 
•either  "passed  in  the  negative,"  or  was  not  acted  on  at  all.  But  in 
1763  the  town  "  Voted  a  tax  of  £300,  O.  T.,  to  support  the  Gos- 
pel, each  person  to  pay  where  they  /tear."  Yet  it  seems  that  this 
tax  was  not  collected,  the  town  the  next  year  having  voted  to 
"  sink  "  it.  In  1764,  at  the  annual  meeting,  a  vote  was  passed  "  To 
Raise  £400,  O.  T.,  to  make  satisfaction  to  the  Towns  of  Holies  and 
Amherst  for  the  Privileges  we  Enjoy  in  attending  Meeting  with 
them."  But  at  a  subsequent  town  meeting,  in  1767,  "Voted  that 
the  money  Raised  in  1764,  and  assessed  for  the  Towns  of  Holies 
and  Amherst  shall  not  be  collected,"  so  that  it  does  not  appear  that 
any  tax  was  ever  collected  in  Monson,  to  pay  for  preaching  either 
in  the  town  or  out  of  it. 


88  HISTORY    OF   MONSON.  [J746  to 

Building  a  Meeting- House.  Between  the  years  1752  and  1767,. 
an  article  several  times  was  inserted  in  the  warrant  for  the  annual 
town  meeting  to  "  see  if  the  town  will  Vote  to  be  taxed  for  the 
Building  of  a  Meeting-House  and  Settling  the  Gospel  amongst 
them."  And  also  "  To  see  if  the  Town  will  Petition  the  General 
Court  for  a  tax  on  the  Land  of  Residents  and  non  Residents  to 
build  a  Meeting-House  and  setel  the  Gospel."  These  various  pro- 
posals all  alike  "  passed  in  the  negative  ;"  as  also  did  a  proposition, 
introduced  in  1760  "  to  build  a  Meeting-house  at  the  most  conven- 
ient place  near  the  Center  of  the  Town  or  '•pick'  a  new  one." 

In  1762,  and  again  in  1765,  Monson  was  coupled  with  Merrimack 
in  sending  a  Representative  to  the  New  Hampshire  General  Court. 
In  the  former  year  these  towns  were  represented  by  Major  Joseph 
Blanchard,  and  in  1765,  by  Capt.  John  Chamberlain,  both  supposed 
to  live  in  Merrimack.  At  the  census  of  New  Hampshire  taken  in 
1767,  the  population  of  Monson  was  293. 

PROPOSALS     TO     DIVIDE     THE     TOWN,    AND    FINAL    REPEAL    OF    THK 

CHARTER. 

The  people  of  Monson,  like  their  neighbors  of  Hollis,  do  not 
at  any  time  seem  to  have  been  well  content  with  their  chartered 
boundaries.  Several  expedients  in  different  years  came  before 
the  annual  town  meetings  proposing  changes  in  the  chartered 
limits  of  the  town,  some  of  them  favoring  additions  to  its  territory, 
others,  a  division  of  it  in  various  ways.  Among  the  rest  was  a  pro- 
posal adopted  at  the  March  meeting  in  1760  "  To  annex  the  Land 
on  the  south  side  of  Monson  to  Holies,  and  to  -Petition  the  Governor 
and  Council  for  such  part  of  Souhegan  West  to  be  added  to  the 
Remainder  of  Monson  as  will  be  sufficient  to  maintain  the  Gospel, 
and  other  incidental  charges."  Again  in  1761,  the  town  "Voted  to 
set  oft"  one  mile  and  a  half  on  the  south  side  of  Monson  to  Holies." 
This  last  vote  it  would  seem  was  passed  to  favor  a  petition  of  Hollis- 
to  the  General  Court  for  the  like  purpose.  After  this  date  all  ques- 
tions looking  to  a  change  in  the  boundaries  of  the  town  seem  to 
have  rested  till  the  year  1770,  when  the  people  of  Monson,  having 
bandoned  all  hope  of  maintaining  preaching,  or  of  "settling  the 
Gospel  among  them,"  or  of  building  a  meeting- house,  or  even  of 
finding  a  suitable  "Meeting-house  Place,"  petitioned  the  General 
Court  to  put  a  final  end  to  their  unhappy  and  troubled  corporate 
life  by  a  repeal  of  their  charter.  In  their  petition  for  this  repeal, 


1769.]  INCORPORATION    OF   RABY.  89 

they  told  the  General  Court  as  a  reason  for  it,  "  That  the  Land  in 
and  about  the  Center  of  Monson  is  so  very  poor,  Broken,  Baron  and 
uneaven,  as  cannot  admit  of  many  Settlers,  so  that  those  Families 
that  are  in  Town,  are  almost  all  planted  in  the  Extreme  parts  of  it." 
*  *  *  "We  have  no  prospect  of  ever  Building  a  Meeting-House 
in  the  Center  or  elsewhere,  any  ways  to  accommodate  us,  by  which 
Difficulties  we  think  the  Gospel  will  not  be  settled  among  us  while 
in  the  present  situation.  We  therefore  pray,  &c." 

The  consent  of  Hollis  to  accept  of  two  miles  in  width  of  the  south 
side  of  the  suppliant  town,  and  of  Amherst  all  the  residue,  having 
been  first  obtained,  an  Act  was  passed  by  the  General  Court,  July 
4,  1770,  dividing  Monson  by  an  East  and  West  line  passing  very 
near  its  centre,  annexing  the  south  part  to  Hollis  and  the  north  to 
Amherst.  In  this  way,  and  in  answer  to  its  own  humble  entreaties, 
this  ancient  town  voluntarily  surrendered  its  right  to  municipal  life, 
and  for  more  than  a  century  has  been  effaced  from  the  map  of  New 
Hampshire,  and  all  memory  or  tradition  of  it  is  now  nearly  lost  to 
the  present  generation.  Since  the  corporate  death  of  Monson,  its 
remains  have  been  subdivided  into  four  fragments,  the  largest  of 
them  being  in  the  body  politic  of  Milford,  the  smallest  in  Brookline, 
the  remainder  about  equally  divided  between  Amherst  and  Hollis. 

INCORPORATION    OF    RABY,    WILTON    AND    MASON. THE    MILE    SLIP. 

DUXBURY. MILFORD. 

The  west  line  of  Hollis  and  Monson,  as  chartered  in  1746,  as  al- 
ready shown,  was  the  original  west  line  of  old  Dunstable,  running 
due  south  by  the  needle  from  Souhegan  river  to  the  new  Province 
line.  The  towns  of  Wilton  and  Mason,  granted  by  the  "  Masonian  " 
proprietors  in  1749?  were  afterwards  chartered  with  the  same  boun- 
daries as  granted — Wilton  in  1762  and  Mason  in  1768.  The  east 
line  of  these  towns  also  run  due  south  from  the  Souhegan  river  to 
*he  Province  line,  parallel  with  and  about  one  mile  distant  from  the 
west  line  of  Hollis  and  Monson,  thus  leaving,  in  the  intermediate 
space,  a  tract  of  unincorporated  territory,  about  a  mile  wide,  and 
extending  from  the  Souhegan  river  to  the  Province  line.  This  tract 
of  land,  at  that  time,  and  for  some  years  later,  was  known  as  the 
"Mile  Slip"  but  often  in  the  old  records  called  the  "  Mile  Strip," 
and  sometimes  "  Strip  toivn."  A  considerable  number  of  families 
had  settled  on  the  Mile  Slip,  who  naturally  felt  the  need  of  a  town 
charter.  Their  near  neighbors  at  the  west  end  of  Hollis,  as  has 


90  INCORPORATION    OF    RABY.  [r7^9- 

been  seen,  some  years  before  had  felt  themselves  much  aggrieved  at 
the  location  of  the  Hollis  meeting-house,  so  far  from  themselves  and 
so  near  to  the  east  end  of  their  town.  Whether  willing  or  not, 
these  settlers  in  the  west  end  of  Hollis,  as  the  Province  laws  then 
were,  were  taxable,  both  in  person  and  estate,  for  the  building  of 
the  meeting  house  and  support  of  the  ministry  there,  the  same  as 
the  rest  of  the  inhabitants.  They  had  now,  for  many  years,  impa- 
tiently borne  this  injustice.  So  long  as  the  boundaries  of  Hollis  re- 
mained as  fixed  in  the  original  charter  of  the  town,  these  west  end 
settlers  doubtless  cherished  the  hope  that  at  some  time  in  the  future 
better  justice  would  be  done  them,  either  by  the  erection  of  a  new 
meeting-house,  or  the  removal  of  the  one  already  built  nearer  to  the 
centre  of  the  town.  But  all  hope  of  this  sort  forever  vanished  in 
the  year  1763,  on  the  annexation  of  One  Pine  Hill  to  the  east  end 
of  Hollis,  thus  bringing  the  centre  of  the  town  about  two  miles 
nearer  to  the  west  end,  and  the  meeting-house  so  much  nearer  to  the 
centre.  The  people  in  the  other  parts  of  Hollis  were  doubtless  de- 
sirous of  quieting  the  murmurs  of  their  discontented  and  trouble- 
some townsmen  at  the  west  end,  provided  it  could  be  done  consis- 
tently with  the  geographical  symmetry  and  pecuniary  interests  of 
the  old  town.  With  this  end  in  view,  the  expedient  of  forming  a 
new  town  from  this  "Mile  Slip,"  and  the  west  end  of  Hollis,  was 
first  brought  to  the  attention  of  the  people  of  Hollis  at  their  annual 
town  meeting  in  the  spring  of  1764,  less  than  three  months  after  the 
conquest  of  One  Pine  Hill.  At  that  meeting  the  town  "  Voted  To 
measure  East  from  the  Meeting  House  to  the  Town  Line — and 
then  to  Measure  West  from  the  Meeting  House  the  same  Length  of 
Line — And  all  West  by  a  North  and  South  Line  to  be  set  oft'  to  the 
One  Mile  Strip  so  called." 

The  like  vote  was  passed  at  the  annual  town  meeting  in  1768.  In 
1769,  about  a  year  after  this  last  vote,  the  south  part  of  the  Mile 
Slip  and  a  tract  of  territory  about  one  mile  and  one-fourth  wide, 
from  ofF  the  west  end  of  Hollis,  were  incorporated  into  a  town  by 
the  name  of  Raby,  so  called  from  a  town  of  that  name,  in  the 
county  of  Durham,  in  the  north  part  of  England,  from  which  some 
of  its  settlers  first  emigrated.  It  appears  from  the  documents  and 
records  relating  to  Raby,  that  the  petitioners  for  the  charter  asked 
for  and  expected  a  tract  of  land  two  miles  in  width  from  the  west 
end  of  Hollis  to  be  united  with  the  Mile  Slip.  It  is  also  evident 
that  the  people  of  Hollis  were  willing  to  spare  the  two  miles, 


177^.]  MILE-SLIP    AND    DUXBURY.  9! 

provided  it  could  be  done  and  still  leave  their  meeting-house  equally 
distant  from  the  new  east  and  west  lines,  otherwise  they  were  not 
willing.  I  infer  from  the  language  used  in  the  charter  of  Raby, 
that  the  Governor  and  Council  tried  to  do  their  best  to  satisfy  both 
parties — that  is,  to  give  to  Raby  the  two  miles,  and  also  to  leave  the 
Hollis  meeting-house  no  nearer  the  new  west  line  than  it  then  was 
to  the  east  line.  Accordingly,  with  this  end  in  view,  they  described 
the  south-east  corner  of  the  new  town  as  being  "  at  a  stake  and 
stones  about  two  miles  from  the  South  West  corner  of  Hollis  (as 
Hollis  then  was)  thence  North  by  the  needle  to  the  North  line  of 
Hollis,  leaving  the  meeting  house  in  the  middle  between  this  line 
and  the  East  line  of  said  Hollis." 

But  unfortunately  the  west  line  of  Hollis  did  not  extend  far  enough 
towards  the  setting  sun,  by  three-fourths  of  a  mile,  to  give  to  Raby 
the  coveted  two  miles,  and  at  the  same  time  to  leave  the  Hollis 
meeting-house  at  equal  distances  from  the  east  and  west  lines  of  the 
town.  It  not  being  possible  to  satisfy  both  conditions,  the  sur- 
veyor who  run  the  town  line  appears  to  have  come  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  it  was  of  more  importance  that  the  Hollis  meeting-house 
should  be  equally  distant  from  the  east  and  west  lines  of  the  town, 
than  that  the  people  of  Raby  should  have  all  the  land  they  expected. 
Accordingly  the  line  was  so  established  as  to  take  from  Hollis  a  tract 
of  land  about  one  mile  and  one-fourth  in  width,  instead  of  two  miles, 
and  leaving  Hollis  meeting-house  the  same  distance  from  the  east 
line  of  Raby  as  it  was  from  the  west  line  of  Dunstable.  The  people 
of  Raby  were  evidently  disappointed  with  this  result,  and  the 
next  year,  at  the  annual  town  meeting  in  Hollis,  an  article  was 
inserted  in  the  warrant,  "To  see  if  the  town  would  set  off  to  Raby 
the  Families  and  Lands  they  expected."  This  question  being  sub- 
mitted to  the  meeting,  it  was  "  passed  in  the  negative,"  and  the 
meeting-house  in  Hollis  continued,  for  many  years  after,  to  divide 
equally — a  straight  line  passing  through  it — between  the  new  west 
and  east  lines  of  the  town.  The  town  of  Raby,  as  at  first  chartered, 
was  but  about  two  and  one-half  miles  wide,  and  contained  not  more 
than  twelve  square  miles — an  area  not  much  more  than  one-third  of 
that  of  Hollis.  The  people  of  that  town  were  not  content  with  , 
these  narrow  limits,  but  the  war  and  troubles  of  the  Revolution 
soon  coming  on,  this  discontent  was  allowed  to  sleep  till  the  war 
was  well  over.  But  in  1785,  two  years  after  the  war  was  ended, 
the  people  of  Raby  presented  their  grievances  to  the  General  Court 


92  MILE-SLIP    AND    DUXBURY.  [iffb* 

in  a  petition  setting  forth  the  small  population  and  narrow  limits  of 
their  town,  together  with  the  alleged  mistake  in  their  boundaries 
when  chartered,  occasioned  as  was  charged  by  the  "wrongs  or 
sharp  practice  of  Hollis,"  and  asking  for  the  annexation  from 
Hollis  of  three-fourths  of  a  mile  more.  Upon  notice  of  this  petition 
a  town  meeting  was  soon  called  in  Hollis  and  resolutions  adopted 
to  oppose  it,  and  Capt.  Daniel  Emerson,  at  that  time  their  Repre- 
sentative in  the  General  Court,  was  instructed  to  use  his  influence 
against  it.  Notwithstanding  the  stout  opposition  of  Hollis,  the 
General  Court  decided  that  Raby  was  in  the  right,  and  passed  an 
act  setting  off  from  the  west  end  of  Hollis  to  Raby  another  tract  of 
territory  of  the  uniform  width  of  three-fourths  of  a  mile.  This  last 
annexation  to  Raby  left  the  length  of  the  south  line  of  Hollis  four 
miles  and  eighty-five  rods  instead  of  six  miles  and  ninety-six  rods  as 
in  the  original  charter.  In  1796  the  name  of  Raby  was  changed  to 
Brookline  by  an  act  of  the  General  Court  upon  a  petition  of  the  in- 
habitants of  the  town. 

In  the  year  i77^>  upon  application  to  the  General  Court  of  its  in- 
habitants, the  north  part  of  the  Mile  Slip,  including  a  tract  of  terri- 
tory of  about  one  thousand  acres,  known  as  the  Duxbury  School 
farm,  was  invested  with  limited  town  privileges.  In  a  census  of 
New  Hampshire  taken  in  1767,  the  Mile  Slip  had  sixty-nine  inhabi- 
tants ;  in  that  taken  in  i775>  ^  had  eighty-three.  In  the  census  of 
1790  it  was  called  Duxbury,  and  then  had  a  population  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty-nine. 

In  1794  the  town  of  Milford  was  incorporated.  The  act  charter- 
ing Milford  was  entitled  "an  act  to  incorporate  the  south  westerly 
part  of  Amherst — the  north-westerly  part  of  Hollis — the  Mile  Slip 
and  Duxbury  School  Farm,  into  a  town."  Milford,  as  incorporated, 
included  a  small  part  of  Amherst  north  of  the  Souhegan  river,  much 
the  largest  portion  of  that  part  of  the  old  town  of  Monson,  which 
by  the  division  of  Monson  in  177°  nad  been  annexed  to  Amherst; 
all  of  the  Mile  Slip  not  included  in  Raby,  with  the  Duxbury  School 
Farm,  and  an  area  of  from  1000  to  1500  acres  taken  from  the  north- 
west corner  of  Hollis.  It  does  not  appear  that  the  people  of  Hollis 
made  any  opposition  to  this  contribution  to  the  territory  of  their 
new  neighbor.  The  inhabitants  living  on  the  territory  annexed 
were  nearer  to  the  village  in  Milford  than  to  the  meeting-house  in 
Hollis,  and  probably,  without  objection,  acquiesced  in  the  transfer. 
This  tract  annexed  to  Milford  is  the  last  loss  or  gain  in  territory 
which  has  fallen  to  the  lot  of  Hollis  for  the  last  three-quarters  of 


177^-]  INCORPORATION    OF    MILFORD.  93 

a  century  and  more.  During  that  period  the  town  has  remained  of 
the  same  shape  and  dimensions,  as  left  at  the  incorporation  of  Mil- 
ford,  without  any  encroachment  from  its  neighbors  since,  or  effort 
on  the  part  of  its  inhabitants  to  extend  their  borders.  According  to 
a  survey  and  plan  of  thetown,  (now  at  Concord),  made  in  the  year 
1806  by  Nathan  Colburn,  aHollis  surveyor,  still  remembered,  Hollis, 
as  it  then  was,  and  still  is,  contains  an  area  of  19,620  acres,  or 
about  30  2-3  square  miles,  a  territory  not  very  much  differing  in  ex- 
tent from  that  of  the  town  as  first  chartered.  In  all  these  many 
border  troubles  and  controversies,  which  I  have  taken  occasion  to 
notice,  it  cannot  but  be  observed  that  the  people  of  Hollis  have  uni- 
formly had  a  wakeful  eye  to  their  own  rights  and  interests,  that  they 
at  all  times  vigorously  and  vigilantly  endeavored  to  hold  their  own, 
and  the  present  generation  will  find  little  reason  to  reproach  the 
memory  of  their  ancestors  for  not  guarding  and  striving  to  perpet- 
uate the  rights  and  interests  of  those  who  should  come  after  them, 


94  THE    PROVINCIAL    MILITIA    LAW.  [1744. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

THE      PROVINCIAL       MILITIA      LAW. FIRST      MILITIA      COMPANY      IN 

HOLLIS. HOLLIS    IN     THE    FRENCH    AND    INDIAN    WARS  OF     1744 

AND      1755. PETITIONS      FOR      GUARDS. NAMES      OF      OFFICERS 

AND    PRIVATE    SOLDIERS. 1744    TO    X7^3' 

A  law  enacted  by  the  New  Hampshire  General  Court  in  the 
year  1718,  required  all  able  bodied  male  persons  between  the  ages  of 
sixteen  and  sixty,  with  the  exceptions  mentioned  below,  to  do 
military  duty.  These  exceptions  included  members  of  the  Gener- 
al Court,  ministers,  deacons,  schoolmasters,  physicians,  justices  of 
the  peace,  millers,  ferrymen,  and  such  persons  as  had  before  held  a 
military  commission.  Each  private  soldier  was  required  to  be  fur- 
nished with  a  "  Fire  Lock,  Snap  Sack,  Cartouch  Box,  Worm 
and  Priming  Wire,  I  Pound  of  Gun  Powder,  20  Bullets,  and 
12  Flints,  "  and  to  train  four  days  in  the  year,  and  to  muster  once 
in  three  years."  It  was  also  made  the  duty  of  each  town  in  the  Pro- 
vince to  keep  on  hand  a  stock  of  ammunition  for  the  town's  use, 
consisting  of  "  one  barrel  of  good  Gun  powder,  100  pounds  of 
bullets  and  300  flints,  for  every  sixty  Soldiers,"  and  also  to  provide 
arms  and  ammunition  for  such  poor  soldiers  as  were  not  able  to  sup- 
ply themselves.  This  law,  with  but  little  change,  remained  in  force 
till  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  and  it  explains  the  reasons  for  many 
votes  found  in  the  records  of  Hollis  for  the  assessment  of  "  Rates  " 
for  the  "  town  stock  of  ammunition."* 

In  May  1744,  the  General  Court  passed  an  Act  organizing  the 
6th  Regiment  of  New  Hampshire  militia.  This  regiment,  of  which 
Joseph  Blanchard  of  Dunstable  was  Colonel,  embraced  the  mili- 
tia companies  of  a  large  part  of  the  territory  acquired  by  the  set- 
tlement of  the  new  Province  line  in  1741,  being  the  towns  and  dis- 
tricts then  known  as  Dunstable,  the  West  Parish  of  Dunstable. 
Rumford,  (now  Concord),  Nottingham,  (now  Hudson),  Souhegan 

•Province  Laws,  pp.  93,  97. 


1 744.]  FIRST    MILITIA    COMPANY.  95 

East,  (now  Bedford,)  Souhegan  West,  (now  Amherst),  and  some 
others,  making  in  all  nine  companies,  of  which  that  in  West  Dun- 
stable  was  the  ninth.  Of  this  last  company,  Peter  Powers  was  ap- 
pointed Captain  by  the  Governor  and  Council.*  As  we  find  in  the 
Hollis  records,  shortly  after  the  appointment  of  Captain  Powers, 
the  title  of  Lieutenant  prefixed  to  the  name  of  Benjamin  Farley,  of 
Ensign  to  that  of  Jerahmael  Cumings,  and  of  Sergeant 'to  the  name 
of  James  Stewart,  there  can  be  but  little  doubt  that  those  persons  held 
the  offices  indicated,  in  the  first  militia  company  of  West  Dunsta- 
ble.  In  those  times  of  peril,  when  it  was  necessary  for  the  defence 
of  the  hearth-stone  and  family  from  the  midnight  assault  and  scalp- 
ing knife  of  the  savage,  that  each  citizen  should  be  a  soldier, 
military  titles,  as  in  after  times,  had  not  become  an  empty  compli- 
ment. Such  titles  as  Captain,  Lieutenant  and  Ensign  indicated 
that  the  persons  known  by  them  were  distinguished  among  their 
townsmen  for  such  qualities  as  were  most  useful  and  most  needed 
for  the  common  safety,  and  for  that  reason  most  valued  and  hon- 
ored. When  once  duly  bestowed,  they  virtually  became  a  part  of 
the  name  of  such  persons  as  were  entitled  to  them,  to  be  used  alike 
in  social  intercourse  and  in  the  public  records. 

From  the  year  1745  to  January  26,  i775»  we  ^n<^  no  ro^  °f  the 
Hollis  militia  company,  nor  have  the  names  of  its  officers  come 
down  to  us  except  as  those  names  have  been  preserved  in  the  Hollis 
tax  lists,  and  other  public  documents,  with  their  rank  or  title  pre- 
fixed. It  appears  from  an  original  roll  of  the  Hollis  militia  com- 
pany of  the  last  date,  still  existing,  supposed  to  be  in  the  handwrit- 
ing of  the  town  clerk  of  the  time,  that  inclusive  of  officers  Hollis 
then  had  224  soldiers  liable  to  do  military  duty,  that  being  the  num- 
ber of  names  on  this  roll.  Of  this  company  Joshua  Wright  was 
Captain,  Reuben  Dow  Lieutenant,  and  Noah  Worcester  Ensign. 

In  addition  to  the  military  officers  already  mentioned,  we  find  on 
the  Hollis  tax  lists  and  other  public  documents  prior  to  1775,  many 
names  of  Hollis  men  with  military  titles,  most  if  not  all  of  whom 
may  be  presumed  to  have  held  the  commissions  indicated  by  their 
several  titles  in  the  militia  company  of  Hollis.  Captains — Benja- 
min Abbot,  Zedekiah  Drury  and  Leonard  Whiting.  Lieutenants, 
— Robert  Colburn,  Amos  Eastman,  Samuel  Farley,  David  Farns- 
worth,  Amos  Fisk,  Samuel  Gridley  and  James  Taylor.  Ensigns — 
Stephen  Ames,  Josiah  Brown,  Jonas  Flagg,  Daniel  Merrill  and 
Benjamin  Parker. 

*Prov.  Papers'  Vol.  5,  p.  332. 


PETITION    FOR    GUARDS. 


THE  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR  OF   1744. 

In  the  month  of  March,  i744>  ^e  French  and  Indian  war  was 
begun,  in  which  the  Massachusetts  and  New  Hampshire  troops  un- 
dertook the  chivalrous  expedition  for  the  capture  of  Louisburg.* 
This  war  lasted  till  October,  1748.  As  in  former  wars,  the  Canada 
and  Eastern  Indians  took  sides  with  the  French,  who,  coming  in 
large  numbers  from  Canada  and  Nova  Scotia,  prowled  around 
our  defenceless  settlements,  waylaying,  murdering  and  scalping,  or 
taking  captive  to  Canada  the  settlers  in  the  frontier  towns,  some  of 
which  no  farther  off  than  Peterborough,  Lyndeborough  and  New 
Boston,  were  wholly  deserted.  The  inhabitants  of  Hollis,  Monson, 
Souhegan  East,  Souhegan  West,  and  other  places  west  of  the  Mer- 
rimack  river,  repeatedly  petitioned  the  General  Court  for  scouts  and 
garrisons  for  their  protection. 

Among  the  earliest  of  these  petitions  was  one  from  the  old  Parish 
of  West  Dunstable.  On  the  i8th  of  June,  1744,  about  three  months 
after  war  was  declared,  at  a  meeting  of  the  inhabitants  of  West  Dun- 
stable,  James  Stewart  was  chosen  their  delegate  to  present  this  peti- 
tion to  the  General  Court.  The  Commission  of  Mr.  Stewart  for  this 
purpose  was  in  writing,  signed  by  all,  or  very  nearly  all  of  the 
householders  then  in  West  Dunstable,  forty-five  in  number,  and 
was  in  substance  as  follows  : 

"  DUNSTABLE,  June  18,  1744. 

"  Wee,  the  Inhabitants  of  the  West  Parish  in  the  District  of  Dun- 
stable,  do  hereby  authorise  and  depute  Mr.  James  Stewart  in  our 
names  and  behalf,  to  make  proper  application  to  the  Government  of 
New  Hampshire,  Setting  forth  our  being  situated  on  the  Frontier, 
and  exposed  to  the  Enemy,  and  the  Necessity  wee  are  in  of  a  Guard, 
and  Pray  for  a  Sutable  and  Seasonable  Relief  there. 

"  Voted  to  Request  Six  Garasons  and  twenty-five  soldiers." 


Capt.  PETER  POWERS  WILLIAM  COLBURN 

Lieut.  BENJAMIN  FARLEY         SAMUEL  CUMINGS 
Ensign  JERAHMAEL  CUMINGS  JONATHAN  DANFORD 


WILLIAM  ADAMS 
STEPHEN  AMBS 
HENRV  BARTON 
BENJAMIN  BLANCHARD 
BENJAMIN  BLANCHARD,  Jr 
WILLIAM  BLANCHARD 
ELNATHAN  BLOOD 
JOSIAH  BLOOD 
NATHANIEL  BLOOD 
JOHN  BOYNTON,  Jun 
JOHN  BROWN 
JOSIAH    BROWN 


Rev.  DANIEL  EMERSON 
SAMUEL  FARLEY 
JOSEPH  FARLEY 
NICHOLAS  FRENCH 
STEPHEN  HARRIS 
WILLIAM  HARTWELL 
STEPHEN  HAZELTINB 
JOSIAH  HOBART 
ENOCH  HUNT 
ZERUBBABEL  KEMP 
JONATHAN  LOVEJOY 
JAMES  MCDANIELS 


JOSEPH  MCDANIELS 
RANDALL  MCDANIELS 
JONATHAN  MELVIN 
DAVID  NEVINS 
THOMAS  NEVINS 
BENJAMIN  PARKER 
SAMUEL  PARKER 
THOMAS  PATCH 
JOHN  PHELPS 
AMOS  PHILIPS 
MOSES  PROCTOR 
JAMES  WHEELER 
PETER  WHEELER 
FRANCIS  WORCESTER,  Jr 
JOSHUA  WRIGHT."! 


*HoImes  Annals,  Vol.  a,  p.  »j.        fProv.  Papers,  Vol.  9,  p.  195. 


1744 to  I747-]  PETITIONS  FOR  GUARDS.  97 

The  following  extracts  from  the  petition  soon  after  presented  by 
Mr.  Stewart  set  forth  the  reasons  for  it  and  the  condition  of  the  set- 
tlement at  the  time. 

"  The  Memorial  and  Petition  of  James  Stewart,  in  the  name  and 
behalf  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  West  Parish  of  Dunstable,  Humbly 
sheweth,  That  said  Parish  has  been  settled  about  14  years,  and  a 
Gospell  Minister  ordained  above  a  year.  *  *  That  many  Thou- 
sand Pounds  has  been  spent  in  clearing  and  cultivating  the  Land 
there,  and  some  Thousands  more  in  Building  Houses,  Barns  and 
Fences.  *  *  *  The  breaking  up  of  which  Settlements  will  not 
only  ruin  the  Memorialists,  but  greatly  diserve  his  Majesty's 
Interest." 

"That  it  was  by  long  and  importunate  Intercession  of  this  Prov- 
ince (and  not  of  the  Memorialists  seeking)  that  they  are  cast  under 
the  immediate  care  of  this  Government,  which  they  conceive  gives 
them  so  much  the  better  right  to  its  Protection.  That  as  War  is 
already  declared  against  France,  and  a  Rupture  with  the  Indians 
hourly  expected,  your  Memorialists,  unless  they  have  speedy  help, 
will  soon  be  oblidged  to  leave  their  Settlements.  *  *  Wherefore 
your  Memorialists  most  humbly  supplicate  *  *  such  seasonable 
Relief  as  may  enable  them  to  subsist  in  the  war,  and  (be)  secure 
against  the  Ravages  and  Devastations  of  a  blood  thirsty  and  Merciless 
Enemy." 

Near  three  years  later,  about  one  year  after  Hollis  was  chartered 
as  a  town,  (the  war  still  raging)  at  a  town  meeting  held  in  April, 
1 747, .Samuel  Cumings  was  appointed  a  delegate  represent  to  the 
General  Court  a  second  petition  for  '•'•scouts"  and  '•'•guards"  The 
subjoined  extracts  from  the  petition  of  this  delegate  show  the  con- 
dition and  needs  of  the  town  at  that  time.  He  says  to  the  General 
Court  in  this  petition,  "That  Holies  is  a  Frontier  ^town  much 
exposed  to  Danger  from  the  Indian  Enemy,  and  the  number  of 
Effective  men  belonging  to  the  same  not  exceeding  fifty,  who  have 
all  or  most  of  them  Families  to  take  care  of  and  being  mostly  new 
settlers,  have  much  Labour  on  their  hands  to  subdue  and  cultivate 
their  Lands.  That  their  situation  is  such  that  they  dare  not  to  ven- 
ture to  work  without  a  guard  *  *  which  if  they  cannot  have  they 
must  spend  their  time  in  •watching  and  warding,  in  which  case 
their  families  must  suffer  for  want  of  the  necessaries  of  life.  *  *  * 
And  they  Humbly  pray  that  they  may  be  allowed  a  scout  of  ten  or  a 
dozen  men  for  the  ensuing  season  till  the  Danger  of  the  Summer 
(7) 


98  FRENCH    WAR    FROM    1 754    TO    1763. 

and  Fall  of  the  year  is  over  and  the  harvest  past  *  *  and  as  in  duty 
bound  &c."*  In  reply  to  these  and  other  like  petitions  from  the 
frontier  settlements  and  towns  west  of  and  near  the  Merrimack  in 
similar  perils,  the  General  Court  at  several  different  times  detailed 
detachments  of  soldiers  as'  patrols  to  scout  through  the  woods  west 
of  that  river,  and  at  one  time  voted  a  force  of  ninety  scouts  to  patrol 
the  forests  from  the  mouth  of  the  Contoocook  river  to  Holies. 

During  this  war  the  grim  government  bounty  for  Indian  scalps  for 
the  encouragement  of  scouts  and  Indian  hunters  was  increased  by 
vote  of  the  General  Court  from  £100,  paid  for  them  in  Lovewell's 
war,  to  £250,  O.  T.,  and  at  one  time  to  £400,  O.  T.,  for  each  Indian 
scalp  taken  west  of  Nova  Scotia,  and  produced  to  the  Governor 
and  Council.  Probably  owing  to  the  efforts  of  the  government, 
united  with  the  vigilance  of  the  settlers,  it  does  not  appear  that  any 
attack  was  made  upon  Hollis  or  any  of  the  adjoining  towns.  I  do 
not  find  that  Hollis  furnished  any  soldiers  for  the  New  Hampshire 
regiments  raised  in  this  war,  and  not  more  than  two  or  three  Hollis 
names  appear  in  the  printed  lists  of  New  Hampshire  "  scouts"  pub- 
lished in  the  report  of  the  Adjutant  General  for  1866.  The  pro- 
tection of  their  own  families  and  firesides  was  the  first,  and  would 
seem  the  only  military  duty,  in  these  years,  asked  or  expected  of  the 
settlers  in  the  towns  on  the  extreme  frontier. 

THE  WAR  IN  WHICH  OJJEBEC  WAS  TAKEN  AND  CANADA  CONOJLJERED, 

In  i754»  about  eight  years  after  the  peace  of  Aix  La  Chapelle, 
the  last  French  and  Indian  War  was  begun,  which  ended  in  the 
capture  of  Quebec  and  the  final  conquest  of  Canada. f  Hollis  in 
this  war  was  no  longer  on  the  extreme  frontier,  and  was  much  less 
exposed  to  the  attacks  of  the  savages  than  in  the  preceding  war. 
During  the  eight  years  of  peace,  the  population  of  the  town  had 
very  considerably  increased,  and  its  soldiers  seem  to  have  done  their 
whole  duty  in  filling  up  the  ranks  of  the  New  Hampshire  regiments 
called  for  by  the  Government.  In  the  roll  of  a  small  detachment 
of  New  Hampshire  troops  posted  on  the  Connecticut  river  in  the  fall 
of  1 754?  and  to  be  found  in  the  report  of  the  Adjutant  General  for 
1866,  above  referred  to,  I  find  the  names  of  JohnCumings,  James 
French,  Jonathan  Hubbard,  (Hobart)  Samuel  Parker  and  James 
Whiting,  all  names  appearing  on  the  Hollis  records  and  believed  to 
have  been  Hollis  soldiers. 

*Prov.  Papers,  Vol.  9,  p.  399. 
fllolmcs'  Annals,  Vol.  2,  p.  53. 


FRENCH    WAR    FROM    1 754    TO    1763.  99 

In  1755,  New  Hampshire  raised  a  regiment  commanded  by  Col. 
Joseph  Blanchard,  to  aid  in  the  expedition  against  the  French  forts 
at  Crown  Point  on  the  west  shore  of  Lake  Champlain.  Of  this  regi- 
ment, Rev.  Daniel  Emerson  was  Chaplain,  Dr.  John  Hale,  Sur- 
geon's Mate,  and  Jonathan  Hubbard,  (Hobart)  Adjutant,  all  of 
Hollis.* 

Nearly  two-thirds  of  the  Third  Company  of  this  regiment  were 
also  Hollis  men.  Of  this  company,  Peter  Powers  was  Captain, 
Benjamin  Abbot,  Lieutenant ;  William  Cumings,  Ensign ;  James 
Colburn,  Clerk ;  David  Hubbard,  (Hobart)  and  Samuel  Cumings, 
Sergeants;  Jonathan  Powers,  Enoch  Noyes,  Stephen  Hazeltineand 
James  Brown,  Corporals,  and  Samuel  Brown,  Drummer,  all  of 
Hollis.  Among  the  private  soldiers,  or  sentinels,  we  recognize  the 
following  Hollis  names,  viz.  :  Jacob  Abbot,  Ebenezer  Ball,  Samuel 
Barrett,  Jabez  Davis,  John  Flagg,  Jonathan  Fowler,  Josiah  French, 
John  Goodhue,  James  Hill,  George  Lesley,  Christopher  Lovejoy, 
Levi  Powers,  Stephen  Powers,  Whitcomb  Powers,  Isaac  Stearns. 
Nathaniel  Townsend,  Daniel  Wheeler,  James  Wheeler,  Peter 
Wheeler  and  John  Willoughby,  making  in  all  thirty-four  Hollis 
men  in  this  regiment. 

In  August  1757'  after  the  capture  of  Fort  William  Henry  by  the 
French  and  Indians,  a  battalion  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  New 
Hampshire  troops  was  raised  for  the  defence  of  Fort  Edward,  near 
Lake  George,  commanded  by  Major  Thomas  Tash.  In  the  first 
company  of  this  battalion  there  were  eleven  Hollis  soldiers,  viz.  : 
Benjamin  Abbot,  Jacob  Abbot,  Stephen  Ames,  Ephraim  Blood, 
Elnathan  Blood,  Robert  Campbell,  Timothy  Emerson,  John  Hale, 
Samuel  Hobart,  (Sergt.)  Jonathan  Hobart  and  John  Willoughby. 

In  1758,  a  regiment  of  New  Hampshire  troops  was  raised,  com- 
manded by  Col.  John  Hart  of  Portsmouth,  a  part  of  which  was 
ordered  to  join  a  second  expedition  against  Louisburg,  and  the 
remainder  to  serve  on  the  western  frontier.  Of  this  regiment  Rev. 
Daniel  Emerson  was  Chaplain,  and  Dr.  John  Hale,  Surgeon.  Of 
its  Sixth  company,  Ebenezer  Jaquith  was  Second  Lieutenant  and 
Josiah  Brown,  Ensign.  Besides  the  foregoing,  there  were  also  in 
the  same  company  sixteen  Hollis  soldiers,  making  in  all  twenty 
Hollis  men  in  this  regiment,  viz. :  Nathaniel  Blood,  Joseph  East- 
erbrook,  Jonathan  Fowler,  James  French,  Samuel  Hazeltine,  James 
Hubbard,  (Hobart) ,  Thomas  Nevins,  Ebenezer  Pierce,  Whitcomb 

*Vol.  a,  Adjt.  Gen.  Rep.  for  1866,  pp.  97,  139,  131,  132. 


TOO  FRENCH    WAR    FROM    1754   TO    1763. 

Powers,  Thomas  Powers,  Isaac  Stearns,  Samuel  Stearns,  James 
Taylor,  Abel  Webster,  Peter  Wheeler  and  John  Willoughby. 

In  i759>  the  year  of  the  capture  of  Quebec,  a  New  Hampshire 
regiment  was  raised  and  put  under  the  command  of  Col.  Zaccheus 
Lovewell,  of  Dunstable,  with  its  rendezvous  at  that  place.  With 
the  exception  of  two  companies,  the  rolls  of  this  regiment  are 
lost,  but  as  it  was  made  up  of  drafts  from  the  militia  regiments  of 
the  whole  province,  and  its  headquarters  being  in  an  adjacent  town, 
there  can  be  no  reasonable  doubt  that  the  Hollis  soldiers  were  well 
represented  in  it. 

In  1760,  the  year  of  the  final  conquest  of  Canada,  New  Hamp- 
shire furnished  its  last  regiment  of  eight  hundred  men  for  this  war, 
of  which  John  Goffe  was  Colonel,  having  its  headquarters  at  Litch- 
field.  This  regiment  marched  to  its  destination  by  the  way  of  Mon- 
son,  Keene,  the  Green  Mountains,  and  thence  to  Crown  Point.  Its 
adjutant  was  Samuel  Hobart,  and  on  the  roll  of  one  of  its  companies 
I  find  the  following  names  of  Hollis  soldiers  :  Joseph  Taylor,  Lieut., 
James  Taylor,  Sergeant,  and  among  the  privates,  Jotham  Cumings, 
Francis  Powers,  and  Joshua  Wright.* 

In  the  foregoing  lists  there  will  be  found  sixty-one  different 
names  of  men  who  as  private  soldiers  or  officers,  in  the  several 
years  of  that  war,  went  into  the  army  from  the  territory  now  or  at 
that  time  embraced  in  Hollis.  How  many  other  names  of  Hollis 
soldiers  were  on  the  lost  rolls,  cannot  now  be  told.  As  no  census 
had  then  been  taken  of  which  we  have  any  knowledge,  we  have  no 
means  of  learning  the  population  of  the  town  during  that  war  with 
much  approach  to  accuracy.  The  number  of  names  on  the  Tax 
Lists,  from  1 754  to  1 760,  then  varied  from  one  hundred  and  eight  to 
one  hundred  and  seventeen,  and  the  number  of  men  furnished  from 
the  town  in  that  war  was  equal  to  more  than  one  half  the  number  of 
tax  payers,  besides  those  that  may  have  been  on  the  lost  rolls. 

In  February  1763,  by  the  treaty  concluded  at  Paris,  peace  was 
again  proclaimed.  For  thirteen  of  the  nineteen  years  beginning 
•with  1744  and  ending  with  1763,  our  ancestors  were  engaged  in  this 
savage  and  bloody  warfare  for  the  defence  of  their  lives  and  fire- 
sides, carried  on  by  their  enemies  with  the  avowed  purpose  of 
driving  the  English  from  the  country.  We  now  look  back  upon 
the  history  of  those  years  and  the  doings  of  our  ancestors,  with 
feelings  of  filial  gratitude  and  admiration,  knowing  as  we  do  that 

*Adjt.  Gen.  Rep.  for  1866,  Vol.  a,  pp.  191,  313,  314,  233,  141. 


FRENCH   WAR   FROM    1 754   TO    1763.  IO1 


it  was  to  their  courage,  constancy  and  sufferings  that  we  owe  the 
rich  inheritance  they  have  transmitted  to  us.  We  would  gladly 
know  much  more  than  it  is  now  possible  to  learn  of  the  personal 
history  of  these  early  pioneers  of  the  town  and  State,  but  knowing 
as  we  do  how  soon  the  memorials  of  the  dead  fade  from  the  recol- 
lections of  the  living,  we  may  well  be  grateful  that  even  the  names 
of  so  many  of  these  brave  defenders  of  their  country  have  come 
down  to  our  times. 

The  militia  company  in  Hollis,  from  the  year  1768,  formed  a  part 
of  the  5th  Regiment  of  the  New  Hampshire  militia  till  the  begin- 
ning of  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  From  1768  to  1775,  the  field 
officers  of  that  regiment  were  Edward  G.  Lutwyche  of  Merrimack, 
Colonel ;  its  Lieut.  Colonel  was  Dr.  John  Hale,  and  Samuel  Ho- 
bart  its  Major.  Col.  Lutwyche  was  a  loyalist  or  tory,  and  is  said 
to  have  left  the  country  near  the  beginning  of  the  war.  Major 
Hobart  was  appointed  Colonel  of  the  2nd  New  Hampshire  Regi- 
ment of  minute  men,  by  the  New  Hampshire  Provincial  Congress 
in  September  1775,  and  in  November  of  the  same  year,  Lieut.  Col. 
Hale  was  elected  Colonel  of  the  5th  Regiment  of  New  Hampshire 
militia. 


IO2  COLONIAL    SCHOOL    LAW. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

COLONIAL  SCHOOL  LAW. SCHOOLS  IN  HOLLIS  BEFORE  THE  REV- 
OLUTION.  SCHOOL  DISTRICTS. SCHOOL  HOUSES. THE  GRAM- 
MAR SCHOOL. TEACHERS  OF  THE  GRAMMAR  SCHOOL. COL- 
LEGE GRADUATES,  ETC.,  BEFORE  l8oO. LETTER  OF  GOV.  JOHN 

WENTWORTH    TO    REV.    MR.    EMERSON. 1746    TO    1 775- 

By  a  Colonial  law  of  New  Hampshire  passed  in  1719,  and  re- 
maining in  force  without  any  important  change  till  after  the  Revo- 
lution, it  was  enacted  "  that  each  Town  in  the  Province  having  the 
number  of  fifty  house  holders  shall  be  constantly  provided -of  a 
schoolmaster  to  teach  children  to  read  and  write,  and  when  any 
town  has  one  hundred  families  or  house  holders,  there  shall 
also  be  a  Grammar  School  set  up  and  kept.  *  *  And  some  dis- 
creet person  of  good  conversation,  well  instructed  in  the  tongues* 
shall  be  procured  to  be  master  thereof.  *"  *  Every  such  school 
master  to  be  suitably  encouraged  and  paid  by  the  inhabitants.  *  * 
And  the  Selectmen  of  Towns  are  hereby  Empowered  to  agree  with 
such  school  masters  for  Salary,  and  to  raise  money  by  way  of  Rate 
upon  the  Inhabitants  to  pay  the  same."  The  law  also  provided  that 
"  If  any  such  Town  should  neglect  the  ,due  observance  of  the  Law 
for  the  space  of  six  months,  it  should  incur  a  Penalty  of  £20."  In 
1721  this  law  was  so  amended  in  respect  to  towns  having  one  hun- 
dred families,  as  to  subject  the  selectmen,  instead  of  the  town,  to  a 
fine  of  £20,  if  their  town  for  one  month  should  be  without  a  gram- 
mar school. 

The  above  law  was  unlike  the  New  Hampshire  School  Laws  in 
force  during  the  present  century  in  many  important  particulars. 

i  st.  It  provided  for  a  single  school  only  for  teaching  children  to 
read  and  write,  in  towns  having  fifty  families  and  less  than  one  hun- 
dred ;  and  for  a  grammar  school  in  which  the  "  tongues"  or  dead 
languages  were  to  be  taught  in  towns  having  one  hundred  families 
or  more. 


1746  to  1775.]  SCHOOL   TAXES.  103 

2nd.  It  was  wholly  silent  as  to  school-houses,  school  districts 
and  school  committees. 

3d.  It  contemplated  the  employment  of  male  teachers  only, 
"School  Masters" 

4th.  The  hiring  of  "  School  Masters" — the  whole  management  of 
the  schools  and  the  "  raising  of  money  by  way  of  Rates"  was  en- 
trusted wholly  to  the  selectmen. 

5th.  It  required,  in  its  terms,  both  the  school  for  teaching  reading 
and  writing,  and  also  that  for  teaching  the  "Tongues"  to  be  kept 
"  constantly." 

The  foregoing  suggestions  in  respect  to  the  province  school  law 
tend  to  explain  many  matters  relating  to  schools  to  be  found  in  the 
early  Hollis  records,  otherwise  not  so  readily  understood. 

The  first  reference  to  public  schools  to  be  found  in  these  records 
is  in  the  doings  of  the  annual  town  meeting  of  March,  1749.  A 
few  days  previous  to  that  meeting,  the  old  first  meeting-house  had 
been  offered  for  sale  at  public  auction  and  bid  off  at  £49,  O.  T.,  and 
it  was  then  "  Voted  that  the  money  the  old  meeting-house  sold  for 
be  applied  to  the  building  of  a  school-house."  But  it  afterwards 
appears  from  the  recoixls  that  this  £49,  O.  T.,  was  not  paid,  and 
that  the  old  meeting-house  still  continued  to  belong  to  the  town. 
In  the  year  1750  there  were  eighty-nine  names  on  the  tax  list,  and 
the  number  of  families  then  in  the  town  was  doubtless  fifty  or  more, 
a  number  making  it  the  duty  of  the  town  "  to  provide  a  School 
Master  to  teach  children  to  read  and  write."  In  that  year  the  first 
tax  was  assessed  fora  public  school  amounting  to £50,  O.  T.  From 
that  time  till  the  war  of  the  Revolution  and  after,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  years  1752,  '53,  '54,  and  1756,  the  town  at  its  annual 
meeting  continued  to  vote  a  yearly  tax  for  "a  School"  or  "the 
School,"  varying  in  amount  from  £30,  in  silver  or  lawful  money, 
to  £800,  O.  T.  In  1780,  when  the  continental  paper  money  had 
become  so  depreciated  as  to  be  nearly  worthless,  the  nominal  amount 
of  the  school  tax  in  that  currency  was  £4.000. 

From  175°  to  1766,  the  school  tax,  like  other  taxes,  was  assessed 
in  the  Old  Tenor  paper  currency,  and  varied  from  £50,  O.  T.,  the 
lowest  amount  in  a  year,  to  £800,  the  highest.  During  the  war 
this  tax  as  other  taxes  of  the  time,  were  assessed  and  payable  in  the 
Continental  paper  money,  vaiying  in  amount  from  £50,  in  1775,  to 
£4,000,  in  1780. 

In  1753  the  town  "  Voted  to  give  Lieut.  Samuel  Cum  ings  £52, 


IO4  SCHOOL    HOUSES    AND    SCHOOL    SQUADRONS.  [J753' 

O.  T.,  for  his  house  which  was  Dea.  Worcester's,  for  a  school 
house,  and  he  is  to  have  the  use  of  said  house  on  Sabbath  days." 
But  in  1755  it  was  "  Voted  to  give  Samuel  Cumings  one  half  of 
the  old  meeting-house  for  the  use  of  the  house  the  Town  bought 
of  him  for  a  School-house  the  three  years  they  had  it,  and  said 
Cumings  is  to  have  his  house  again."  In  1760  an  article  was  in- 
serted in  the  warrant  for  the  annual  meeting,  "  To  see  if  the  Town 
would  build  a  School-house."  The  question  upon  this  article  com- 
ing up  in  the  meeting,  it  was  "  decided  in  the  negative."  From 
the  doings  of  this  meeting  it  is  evident  that  the  town  owned  no 
school-house  in  1760. 

Till  the  year  I771  it  would  be  naturally  inferred,  from  the  lan- 
guage used  in  voting  the  yearly  school  tax,  that  but  a  single  school 
was  kept  in  the  town  at  the  same  time — this  tax  being  uniformly 
voted  for  "  #"  school,  or  "  the"  school,  as  if  but  one, — the  school 
law  in  force  at  the  time,  apparently,  contemplating  but  a  single 
school  in  towns  not  having  a  sufficient  number  of  families  for  a  gram- 
mar school.  Still  it  appears  from  other  votes  and  doings  of  the 
town,  that  there  may  have  been  several  schools  kept  at  the  same 
time  in  different  parts  of  the  town. 

In  1752,  it  was  "  Voted  that  the  school  should  be  moved  for  the 
benefit  of  the  town  ;"  and  in  1755,  £100,  O.  T.,  were  assessed  as  a 
school  tax,  and  it  was  "Voted  that  the  School  should  be  kept  in 
the  four  quarters  of  the  town  ;  Each  quarter  to  draw  £25,  and  to 
keep  the  school  when  and  where  they  please."  This  was  what  was 
called  the  movable  or  " 'per -ambulatory"  school. 

The  earliest  approximation  to  any  permanent  local  division  of  the 
town  for  school  purposes  is  to  be  found  in  the  records  for  1757- 
The  town  that  year  voted  £400,  O.  T.  for  "  a  school,"  "  and  that  it 
be  granted  to  every  suitable  number  of  persons  that  shall  agree 
together  in  any  part  of  the  town  (to  have)  their  proportion  for 
keeping  a  school  among  themselves,  and  those  that  dont  joyn,  their 
money  is  to  be  paid  into  the  treasury  for  a  school  in  the  middle  of 
the  town."  The  like  vote  continued  to  be  passed  for  many  years 
after.  These  associations  were  wholly  voluntary  on  the  part  of" 
those  who  united  in  them,  and  are  called  in  the  records,  "  School 
Classes"  "  School  Societies"  and  sometimes  "  School  Squadrons" 
but  in  no  instance,  in  the  early  records,  "  school  districts."  In  1760 
a  committee  was  chosen  "  to  divide  the  town  for  schools,  and  to  ap- 
portion the  money  between  the  summer  and  winter  schools." 


1746  to  1775.]  THE    GRAMMAR    SCHOOL.  10$ 

In  1761,  Dea.  Worcester,  Benjamin  Abbot,  James  Jewett,  Ste- 
phen Ames  and  Samuel  Cumings  were  chosen  a  committee  to  fix 
places  for  school-houses,  and  the  next  year,  1762,  the  town  "  voted 
that  school  houses  should  be  built  when  there  is  a  sufficient  number 
that  shall  sign  to  any  certain  place  to  build  the  houses  and  each 
party  is  to  build  their  own  house."  This  is  the  last  reference  I  find 
in  the  town  records  to  school-houses,  and  I  think  there  is  no  reason- 
able doubt  that  such  houses  were  built  in  accordance  with  that  vote, 
but  if  so,  how  many,  when,  in  what  parts  of  the  town,  and  at  what 
cost,  these  records  do  not  tell  us. 

In  1771  the  town  "voted  £36,  in  Lawful  Money,  (or  silver)  for 
schools  to  be  laid  out  in  the  usual  manner  "  and  "that  Mr.  Emerson 
keep  the  Grammar  School  for  the  town  as  usual,  viz, :  to  teach  all 
those  in  the  town  that  shall  present  themselves  in  the  languages." 
The  foregoing  vote  is  the  earliest  notice  of  the  Hollis  Grammar 
School  to  be  found  in  the  records,  but  the  words  "  as  usual"  imply 
that  such  a  school  had  been  kept  for  some  years  before. 

According  to  the  census  of  the  town  taken  in  1767,  Hollis  then 
contained  809  inhabitants,  and  then  had  150  names  on  its  tax  lists, 
and  without  doubt  there  were  then  in  the  town  more  than  100  fam- 
ilies. If  so  it  was  the  duty  of  the  inhabitants,  under  the  existing 
school  laws,  as  early  as  that  year,  and  probably  earlier,  to  establish 
a  grammar-school.  In  1774  the  town  "Voted  that  the  grammar- 
school  should  be  kept  the  whole  year  in  the  four  southern  squad- 
rons, the  other  squadrons  to  school  out  their  money  as  usual."  As 
that  part  of  the  town  north  of  the  meeting-house  was  somewhat 
larger  in  extent  than  the  part  south  of  it,  we  may  fairly  presume, 
that  in  1774,  there  were  as  many  as  eight  "School  Squadrons"  in 
the  town,  and  not  unlikely  as  many  school-houses.  In  1775  the 
town  "  Voted  that  Mr.  William  Cumings  keep  the  grammar-school." 
The  foregoing  are  all  the  minutes  to  be  found  upon  the  town  re- 
cords relative  to  the  Hollis  grammar-school,  before  the  war  of  the 
Revolution,  and  we  infer  from  them  that  such  of  the  Hollis  youth 
as  wished  for  instruction  in  the  "  tongues,"  were  taught  by  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Emerson,  till  the  year  1775,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Mr. 
Cumings.  The  name  of  this  Mr.  Cumings  is  found  upon  one  of 
the  Hollis  military  rolls  in  1775  with  the  title  of  "  School-Master." 
He  was  for  many  years  a  teacher  in  the  Hollis  schools,  and  long 
after  his  decease  was  gratefully  and  affectionately  remembered,  as 
"Master  Cumings."  In  the  two  last  years  of  the  war,  and  several 


IO6  REV.    MR.    EMERSON.  [J746  to  1 775. 

years  after  it,  he  held  the  office  of  Town  Clerk,  and  the  Hollis 
records  of  the  time  still  exhibit  abundant  evidence  of  his  neat  and 
elegant  penmanship,  and  of  his  ability  not  only  to  write  his  mother 
tongue  correctly  and  in  good  taste,  but  also  to  garnish  the  produc- 
tions of  his  pen  with  a  somewhat  pedantic  display  of  his  knowl- 
edge of  Latin. 

It  is  very  evident  from  documents  that  yet  exist,  that  the  youth  of 
Hollis,  before  the  Revolution,  were  taught  to  "read  and  write,"  as 
required  in  the  existing  school  law.  I  have  seen  and  examined 
more  than  one  hundred  of  the  original  signatures  of  the  Hollis  revo- 
lutionary soldiers,  all,  with  but  rare  exceptions,  written  in  a  fair, 
legible  hand,  and  but  two  "  marksmen"  among  them  all,  and  these 
supposed  not  to  have  been  born  in  the  town.  Judging  from  the 
published  histories  of  many  towns,  which  I  have  read,  it  is  very 
certain  that  the  schools  in  Hollis  were  better  cared  for  than  in  many 
towns  both  older  and  more  populous.  It  was  not  uncommon,  both 
in  New  Hampshire  and  Massachusetts,  for  towns  or  their  selectmen 
to  be  indicted  and  fined  for  their  neglect  to  comply  with  the  school 
laws.  Other  towns  sometimes  voted  to  indemnify  their  selectmen 
for  such  neglects, — it  costing  less  money  to  pay  the  fines  than  to 
support  the  schools.  But  no  such  vote  is  to  be  found  in  the  doings 
of  any  Hollis  town  meeting,  nor  have  I  learned  that  any  criminal 
complaint  was  ever  made  against  the  town  or  its  selectmen  for  vio- 
lation of  the  school  laws. 

This  comparatively  good  condition  of  the  public  schools  in  Hollis 
is  undoubtedly  due,  in  great  measure,  to  the  efforts  of  their  worthy 
minister,  Mr.  Emerson,  and  some  of  the  prominent  early  settlers  of 
the  town,  and  the  active  interest  they  took  in  the  cause  of  popular 
education.  "  The  good  which  men  do,"  as  well  as  "the  evil,"  lives 
after  them,  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  salutary  influence  of 
Mr.  Emerson  and  his  compeers,  felt  alike  by  parents  and  the  youth 
of  Hollis,  continued  long  after  their  decease. 

Some  of  the  good  fruits  of  this  influence  were  to  be  seen  in  the 
unusually  large  number  of  the  Hollis  youth,  born  during  the  life  of 
Mr.  Emerson,  who  sought  the  advantages  of  a  collegiate  and  profes- 
sional education.  In  the  short  biographical  notices  that  I  have  read 
of  Mr.  Emerson  it  was  said  of  him  that  he  was  "a  popular  and  suc- 
cessful minister,"  and  that  "  his  praise  was  in  all  the  churches." 
The  youth  of  Hollis  who  were  born  and  grew  up  under  his  ministry, 
no  doubt  could  say  with  equal  truth,  that  his  praise  was  in  all  the 


COLLEGE    GRADUATES    BEFORE    l8oO. 


107 


schools.  Mr.  Emerson,  as  we  have  seen,  was  settled  in  the  ministry 
over  his  society  in  i743>  and  his  connection  with  it  as  sole  and  asso- 
ciate pastor,  continued  till  his  death  in  1801,  a  period  of  fifty-six  years. 
It  will  be  seen  from  the  lists  of  Hollis  graduates  of  colleges,  and  of 
ministers,  physicians  and  lawyers,  not  graduates,  that  eleven  of  the 
youth  of  Hollis,  born  before  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  were  gradu- 
ates of  colleges,  and  an  equal  number,  not  graduates,  also  born  be- 
fore i/75'  became  ministers  or  physicians,  It  may  also  be  seen  that 
Hollis  furnished  twenty-eight  graduates  of  colleges,  born  between 
the  years  1775,  and  1800,  during  the  pastorate  of  Mr.  Emerson,  a 
number  equal  to  more  than  one  for  each  year  during  the  last  quarter 
of  the  last  century. 

The  names  of  the  Hollis  Graduates  of  Colleges,  and  of  Minis- 
ters and  Physicians,  not  Graduates,  born  before  i"J75,  are  pre- 
sented in  the  following  Lists : 

GRADUATES    OF    COLLEGES. 


Rev.  PETER  POWERS  born  1738 

•'        JOSIAH    GOODHUE  "         1735 

"      HENRY  CUMINGS,  D.D.  "      1739 

"      JOSEPH  EMERSON  •'      1759 

Dr.  SAMUEL  EMERSON  "      1764 

Rev.  JOSIAH  BURGE  "      1766 


Rev.  SAMUEL  WORCESTER,  D.  D.  born  1770 

"      DANIEL  EMERSON,  Jun.  "      1771 

JACOB  A. CUMINGS  "      1773 

"      DAVID  JEWETT  "      1773 

"      ABEL  FARLEY  "      1773 


MINISTERS    AND    PHYSICIANS    NOT    GRADUATES. 


Dr.  ABIJAH  WRIGHT 
"  PETER  EMERSON 
Rev.  SAMUEL  AMBROSE 

"     NOAH  WORCESTER,  D.D. 

"  JOSEPH  WHEAT 
Dr.  WILLIAM  HALE 


born  1746 
"  '749 
"  '757 
"  1758 
"  i?S9 
"  1763 


Rev.  LEONARD  WORCESTER  born  1767 

"      THOMAS  WORCESTER  "      1768 

"      DAVID  SMITH  "      1769 

Dr.  JOSEPH  F.  EASTMAN  "      1773 

Rev.  DAVID  BROWN  "      1773 


The  names  of  the  Hollis   Graduates  of  Colleges  born  between 
the  years  1775  and  1800  are  presented  below  : 


JOSEPH  EMERSON,  zd  born  1777 

MIGHILL  BLOOD  "  1777 

MANASSEH  SMITH  "  1779 

STEPHEN   FARLEY  Jun.  "  1779 

CALEB  J.  TENNEY  "  1780 

JONATHAN  B.  EASTMAN  "  1780 

NEHEMIAH  HARDY  "  1781 

BENJAMIN  BURGE  "  1782 

JOSEPH  E.  SMITH  "  1782 

BENJAMIN  M.  FARLEY  "  1783 

JOSEPH  E.WORCESTER  "  1784 

GRANT  POWERS  "  1784 

FIFIELD  HOLT  "  1784 

NOAH  HARDY  "  1785 


DANIEL  KENDRICK  born  1785 

WILLIAM  TENNEY  "  1785 

ELI  SMITH,  Jr  "  1787 

RALPH  EMERSON  "  1787 

LEONARD  JEWETT  "  1787 

JOHN  PROCTOR  "  1787 

SAMUEL  E.  SMITH  "  1788 

LUKE  EASTMAN  "  1790 

GEORGE  F.  FARLEY  "  1793 

WM.  P.  KENDRICK  "  1794 

DAVID  P.  SMITH  "  1795 

SOLOMON  HARDY  "  1796 

ELI  N.  SAWTELLE  "  1799 

TAYLOR  G.  WORCESTER  "  1799 


IO8  LETTER    OF   GOV.   JOHN   WENTWORTH.  [J77O- 

I  am  indebted  to  my  kind  friend  the  late  Rev.  Dr.  Bouton,  for  the 
following  very  sensible  and  graceful  letter  written  to  Mr.  Emerson, 
in  177°'  by  Gov.  John  Wentworth,  upon  committing  to  the  tutor- 
ship of  Mr.  Emerson,  a  young  orphan  nephew.  The  letter  is  alike 
creditable  to  the  head  and  heart  of  Gov.  Wentworth,  and  is  pleasant 
and  pertinent  evidence  that  the  good  reputation  of  Mr.  Emerson  as 
an  instructor  of  youth  and  friend  of  education  was  well  understood 
beyond  the  limits  of  Hollis. 

"WENTWORTH  HOUSE,  WOLFEBOROUGH,  j 

28,  July  1770.  j 
'•''The  Rev.  Mr.  Emerson  at  Hollis, 

"./fez>.  Sir : — Inconsequence  of  a  letter  I  have  just  received  from 
Major  Hobart,  who  writes  me  that  jou  are  ready  to  receive  my 
nephew,  Mark  Wentworth,  and  to  take  charge  of  his  Education,  I 
herewith  send  him  and  Earnestly  beg  your  greatest  care  of  his 
health  and  instruction.  He  is  a  fine  boy,  of  great  Spirit,  which 
naturally  leads  him  to  playful  negligence.  He  has  also  acquired 
idle  habits  which  will  be  easily  reformed  under  a  strict  discipline, 
equally  removed  from  cruelty  and  levity.  He  must  know  that  you 
in  all  things  are  to  be  obeyed  and  never  suffer  any  sort  of  dis- 
obedience to  your  orders.  This  is  moie  peculiarly  necessary  for 
him,  as  he  has  to  be  brought  up  in  the  Navy,  where  implicit  obe- 
dience is  necessary  for  the  service  and  for  him.  As  to  his  diet,  I 
prefer  simple,  plain,  and  plentiful ;  his  tender  age  admits  no  other 
instruction  than  reading  and  writing.  But  no  age  is  too  tender  to 
receive  inculcations  of  practical  neatness,  honor  and  virtue.  With 
these,  enriched  by  a  just  habitual  •  piety,  he  cannot  fail  of  being  a 
good  man,  the  first  great  object  of  Education.  I  hope  hereafter  to 
have  opportunity  to  confer  with  you  upon  a  future  course  of  learn- 
ing adapted  to  his  genius  and  profession.  In  the  mean  time  I  beg 
leave  to  assure  you,  that  I  can  never  think  any  expense  too  great 
which  he  benefits  by,  and  therefore  gladly  commit  him  to  your  care, 
not  doubting  but  I  shall  rejoice  in  making  you  the  most  grateful  ac- 
knowledgements for  his  improvement,  which  is  the  greatest  and 
most  earnest  desire  of  Revd  Sir, 

Your  most  humble  Servant, 

JOHN  WENTWORTH." 


EARLY    COLONIAL    LAWS.  1 09 


CHAPTER    IX. 

EARLY    COLONIAL    LAWS. TOWN   OFFICERS    AND     THEIR   DUTIES. 

MODERATORS. SELECTMEN. CONSTABLES. FIELD  DRIVERS. 

TITHING  MEN. HOGREEVES. DEER  REEVES  AND  DEER. WOLVES 

AND     RATTLESNAKES. QUALIFICATIONS      OF      VOTERS. HOUSES 

OF    CORRECTION. THE    POOR     AND    THEIR    SUPPORT. WARNING 

TO     LEAVE     TOWN. SLAVERY     IN    NEW     HAMPSHIRE. 1746     to 

'775- 

The  town  officers  authorized  to  be  elected  at  the  annual  town 
meeting  in  March,  before  the  Revolution,  were  a  Moderator  for 
the  town  meetings,  Town  clerk,  Treasurer,  Selectmen  or  "  Towns- 
men," Constables,  Fence  viewers,  Field  Drivers  or  "Haywards,"  Sur- 
veyors of  highways,  Surveyors  of  lumber,  Sealers  of  weights 
and  measures,  Sealers  of  leather,  Tithing-men,  Deer-Reeves,  Hog- 
reeves,  Pound-keepers,  Overseers  of  the  poor,  and  Overseers  of 
houses  of  correction. 

The  Moderator  then,  as  now,  was  the  presiding  officer  of  the 
town  meeting.  No  person  was  allowed  to  speak  in  meeting  with- 
out leave  of  that  dignitary,  nor  "when  any  other  person  was 
speaking  orderly,"  and  all  persons  were  to  be  silent  at  the  request 
of  the  Moderator  under  the  penalty  of  five  shillings.* 

The  number  of  Selectmen  might  be  three,  five,  seven  or  nine. 
Before  the  Revolution  the  number  chosen  in  Hollis  was  either  three 
or  five,  the  last  number  having  been  chosen  in  fourteen  out  of 
twenty-nine  years  from  1746  to  1775.  The  selectmen  were  paid  or 
not  paid  for  their  services,  as  decided  by  vote  of  the  town  at  their 
election — the  town  sometimes  voting  to  pay  them  for  their  time  and 
expenses,  sometimes  their  expenses  only — and  occasionally  that 
they  should  have  no  pay  for  either.  In  respect  to  several  matters 
of  public  concern  the  Selectmen,  Under  the  colony  laws,  had  much 

*Col.  Laws,   p.  72. 


IIO  TOWN    OFFICERS.  [X74^  to   1775- 

more  power  and  a  wider  field  of  duty  than  at  the  present  day. 
The  law  not  providing  for  other  assessors  of  taxes  it  was  made  the 
duty  of  the  Selectmen  to  assess  all  the  polls  and  estates  of  the  inhab- 
itants according  to  the  known  ability  of  each  person  for  the  support 
of  the  ministry,  schools,  the  poor,  and  for  all  other  town  expenses.* 
They  also  had  the  whole  charge  of  the  public  schools,  including  the 
providing  of  suitable  buildings  or  rooms  for  teaching,  and  the  pm- 
ployment  and  paying  of  teachers.f 

Constables.  One  of  the  principal  duties  of  Constables  was  to 
collect  the  taxes.  Till  the  year  1765,  but  one  Constable  was  elected 
in  Hollis  who  was  charged  with  the  collection  of  the  taxes  for  the 
whole  town.  After  that  year  two  were  chosen,  one  of  whom  was 
for  the  west  side  or  west  half  of  the  town,  the  other  for  the  east 
half.  Two  corresponding  tax  lists  were  made,  one  for  each  con- 
stable, the  one  list  containing  the  names  of  the  taxpayers  in  the 
western  division,  the  other  those  in  the  eastern. 

Field  Drivers.  This  office  in  this  state  has  long  since  grown 
into  disuse.  In  colonial  times  it  was  the  duty  of  these  officers  to 
take  up  and  impound  neat  cattle  and  other  domestic  animals  found 
unlawfully  running  at  large  in  the  highways  or  upon  the  common 
land.  For  many  years  after  the  first  settlement  of  Hollis,  a  very 
large  part  of  the  unimproved  land  was  unfenced,  the  rights  of  the 
owners  of  such  lands  being  in  common.  These  common  lands  fur- 
nished much  valuable  pasturage,  and  by  the  Province  law  neat 
cattle  and  other  domestic  animals  were  not  permitted  to  feed  upon 
them  without  the  consent  of  the  land  owners.  If  such  animals 
were  found  at  large  upon  such  lands  without  the  consent  of  the 
owners,  it  was  the  duty  of  the  Field  Driver  to  impound  them,  for 
which  service  he  was  allowed  one  shilling  each  for  horses  and  neat 
cattle,  and  three  pence  each  for  sheep  and  swine,  to  be  paid  by  the 
owner  of  the  animals. 

As  early  as  1747  the  town  meeting  in  Hollis  "voted  that  the 
cattle  belonging  to  the  town  be  booked  within  a  week  and  go  at 
large  upon  the  commons  this  year,  and  to  proceed  with  cattle  that 
dont  belong  to  the  town  according  to  the  law  of  the  Province." 
The  next  year  it  was  "  voted  that  residents  and  non-residents  turn 
out  cattle  according  to  their  rights,  and  that  all  others  be  driven 
away."  The  like  votes  for  the  protection  of  the  commons  contin- 
ued to  be  passed  for  many  years  after. 

*Col.  Laws,  p,  138. 
tCol,  Laws,  pp.  143,  163. 


1746  to  1776.]  TOWN    OFFICERS.  Ill 

Tithing  Men.  The  ancient  office  of  Tithing-Man  has  also  be- 
come obsolete,  and  the  name,  once  a  terror  to  rude  aad  wayward 
youth,  very  nearly  so.  It  was  among  the  duties  of  these  officers  to 
inspect  licensed  houses,  and  to  inform  of  all  disorders  in  them.  Also 
to  inform  of  all  idle  and  disorderly  persons,  profane  swearers, 
and  Sabbath  breakers,  and  to  aid  in  their  arrest  and  punishment. 
They  carried  as  a  badge  of  their  office  a  black  staff  two  feet  long, 
tipped  at  one  end  for  about  three  inches  with  brass  or  pewter.*  It 
was  customary  in  Hollis  to  choose  four  of  these  officers,  two  of 
whom  were  known  as  Tithingmen  "  below"  the  other  two  as  Tith- 
ingmen  "  above"  All  of  them  were  expected  to  attend  meeting  on 
the  Sabbath — the  first  two  to  have  their  seats  on  the  lower  floor, 
and  to  take  note  of  all  disorder  and  irreverence  "below,"  the  other 
two  to  be  installed  in  the  gallery,  and  to  observe  and  report  all  dis- 
turbances and  breaches  of  decorum  "  above." 

Hogreeves.  By  a  law  of  the  Province  passed  in  1719,  swine 
were  not  permitted  to  run  at  large,  between  the  first  day  of  April 
and  the  first  day  of  October,  without  being  yoked  and  rung  in 
the  way  described  in  the  law,  and  two  persons  were  required  to 
be  chosen  at  the  yearly  town  meeting  to  enforce  the  Act.  The 
"  regulation  "  hog  yoke  was  to  be  of  wood,  to  be  in  length  equal  to 
the  depth  of  the  swine's  neck,  above  the  neck,  and  half  as  long  be- 
low. The  ring  was  to  be  of  strong  flexible  iron  wire  inserted  in 
the  top  of  the  nose  to  prevent  rooting,  the  ends  of  the  wire  being 
so  twisted  together  as  to  project  one  inch  above  the  nose.f  By  the 
custom  of  the  town  all  the  young  men  of  Hollis,  married  within  the 
year  next  preceding  the  annual  elections,  were  entitled  to  the  com- 
pliment of  being  chosen  to  this  responsible  office. 

Deer  Reeves.  The  forests  in  most  parts  of  New  Hampshi.e  for 
many  years  after  its  first  settlement  abounded  with  deer.  Both 
the  flesh  and  skins  of  these  animals  being  of  great  value  to  the 
settlers,  laws  were  passed  to  punish  the  killing  of  them  ^t  such 
seasons  as  would  diminish  their  increase.  By  a  Province  law  of 
1741  it  was  made  a  crime  to  kill  deer  between  the  last  day  of 
December  and  the  first  day  of  August.  An  offender  against  this 
law  was  liable  to  a  fine  of  £10.  If  not  able  to  pay  he  might  be  sen- 
tenced to  work  forty  days  for  the  Government,  and  fifty  days  if  he 
should  offend  a  second  time.  It  was  made  the  duty  of  the  town  at 
the  annual  election  to  choose  two  officers,  known  as  Deer  Reeves 

*Col.  Laws,  p.  58. 
tCol.  Laws,  p.  173. 


112  VOTERS    AND    THEIR    QUALIFICATIONS.   [1764101775. 

or  Deer  Keepers,  to  see  that  this  law  was  observed,  with  power  to 
enter  and  search  all  places  where  they  had  cause  to  suspect  that  the 
skins  or  flesh  of  deer,  unlawfully  killed,  was  concealed.  The  first 
Deer  Reeves  in  Hollis  were  Samuel  Farley,  Josiah  Brown  and 
William  Adams,  chosen  in  1747 — the  last,  John  Cumings  and 
Elnathan  Blood,  in  1766. 

Wolves  and  Rattlesnakes.  Wolves,  the  natural  and  incorrigible 
enemies  both  of  deer  and  man,  also  abounded  at  the  early  settle- 
ment of  the  town,  as  also  did  Rattlesnakes,  and  were  the  objects  of 
wholly  different  laws  and  policy  from  those  adopted  in  regard  to 
deer.  By  a  province  law  passed  in  i7J9»  towns  were  empowered 
to  pay  a  bounty  of  2os.  per.  head,  (subsequently  increased)  for  kill- 
ing grown  wolves,  and  one-half  of  the  like  bounty  for  "wolf 
whelps."  In  pursuance  of  this  law  and  its  amendments,  in  the  years 
1760  and  1761,  the  town  voted  to  pay  any  Hollis  man,  who  should 
kill  a  wolf  within  the  town  a  bounty  of  405.  and  in  1766  this  bounty 
was  increased  to  $10.00. 

The  policy  of  extermination  in  respect  to  Rattlesnakes,  with 
which  parts  of  the  town  were  then  infested,  was  adopted  earlier  than 
that  in  regard  to  wolves.  At  the  third  parish  meeting,  held  in 
West  Dunstable,  in  March,  1740,  it  was  "Voted  that  if  any  person 
should  make  it  appear  to  the  Parish  Committee  that  during  the  year 
he  had  killed  one  or  moi-e  rattlesnakes  within  the  parish,  he  shall 
be  paid  from  the  parish  treasury  one  Shilling  for  each  snake  so 
killed." 

Voters  and  their  qualifications.  Prior  to  the  Revolution,  the 
qualifications  for  voting  in  town  meetings  varied  with  the  objects 
of  the  meetings.  To  be  qualified  to  vote  for  town  officers,  the  per- 
son offering  his  vote  was  required  to  be  a  free  holder  in  the  town  or 
to  have  other  taxable  estate  of  the  value  of  £20.* 

In  the  choice  and  settlement  of  a  minister  for  a  town  or  parish, 
and  fixing  his  salary,  the  right  to  vote  was  limited  to  the  owners  of 
real  estate. f  Notwithstanding  this  restriction  of  the  right  to  vote, 
the  taxes  "for  the  support  of  the  minister  were  assessed  by  the  Se- 
lectmen on  land,  personal  estate  and  polls  in  the  same  manner  as 
taxes  for  other  town  charges.  To  be  competent  to  vote  for  a  dele- 
gate to  the  General  Court,  the  elector  was  required  to  be  the 
owner  of  real  estate  in  the  town  of  the  value  of  £50,  and  the  can- 
didate, in  order  to  be  eligible  to  that  office,  to  be  possessed  of  real 
estate  of  the  value  of  £300. 

*Col.  Laws,  p.  137.  fib.  p.  55. 


1746  tO  1775.]      THE    STOCKS    AND    WHIPPING    POST.  11$ 

Houses  of  Correction.  A  province  law  passed  in  1719  provided 
for  the  erection  and  regulation  of  Houses  of  Correction  "for  the 
keeping,  correcting  and  setting  to  work  of  rogues,  vagabonds, 
common  beggars  and  lewd  and  idle  persons"  Such  persons  on  con- 
viction before  the  Court  of  Sessions  or  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  were 
to  be  sent  to  the  House  of  Correction  and  set  to  work  under  the  mas- 
ter or  overseer  of  that  institution.  Upon  his  admission,  the  unlucky 
culprit  was  to  be  put  in  shackles  or  to  be  whipped,  not  to  exceed 
ten  stripes,  unless  the  warrant  for  his  commitment  directed  other- 
wise. By  an  act  of  the  General  Assembly  adopted  in  1766,  the  law 
for  the  maintenance  of  Houses  of  Correction  was  extended  to  towns 
with  the  like  powers  and  duties  in  respect  to  them.*  It  appears 
from  the  following  vote  of  a  special  town  meeting,  on  the  1 8th  of 
March,  1773,  that  the  people  of  Holiis  had  availed  themselves  of  the 
right  to  establish  such  an  institution  for  the  town.  It  was  then 
"  Voted  that  Capt.  Joshua  Wright  be  overseer  of  the  House  of  Cor- 
rection, and  take  all  who  may  be  sent  there  according  to  law." 
The  foregoing  vote  is  the  only  notice  I  find  in  the  records  of  such  an 
asylum  for  rogues  and  vagabonds.  Both  the  records  and  traditions 
are  alike  silent  in  respect  to  the  place  of  its  location  and  the  time  it 
was  continued,  and  also  as  to  the  names  and  numbers  of  its  inmates, 
sent  to  the  overseer  to  be  welcomed  on  their  introduction  with 
shackles  and  stripes. 

The  Stocks  and  Whipping  Post.  The  punishment  of  malefac- 
tors, "  by  making  their  feet  of  the  offender  fast  in  the  stocks,"  is  as 
ancient  as  the  days  of  Job,f  and  it  is  very  evident  from  the  recorded 
experiences  of  the  Apostles  Paul  and  Silas  that  neither  the  stocks  nor 
whipping  posts  were  unknown  in  their  times.  Sustained  alike  by 
abundant  Biblical  precedent  as  well  as  by  the  laws  of  the  province, 
our  order-loving  ancestors  were  not  slow  in  providing  their  town 
with  both  of  these  terrors  of  evil-doers.  At  a  special  town  meeting 
in  June,  1746,  about  two  months  after  the  town  was  incorporated, 
*'  Voted  that  the  Selectmen  provide  stocks  ;"  and  at  a  town  meeting 
in  the  month  of  January  next  after,  "  Voted  to  Accept  the  Account 
of  Josiah  Conant  for  making  the  Stocks."  The  town  whipping- 
post, the  fitting  companion  of  the  stocks,  held  its  place  near  the 
front  of  the  meeting-house,  not  far  from  the  west  line  of  the  common, 
till  after  the  commencement  of  the  present  century,  and  was  in  use 

*Col.  Laws,  pp.  74,  139,  202. 
tjob,  Chap.   13,  v.  37. 

(8) 


114  THE    STOCKS    AND    WHIPPING    POST.      [1746  to  1 775, 

within  the  memory  of  persons  still  living,  with  its  inseparable  asso- 
ciate, the  "cat  o"  nine  tails."  The  varied  practical  uses  to  which 
the  stocks  and  whipping-post  were  applied  may  be  readily  inferred 
by  ^reference  to  a  few  of  the  cotemporary  criminal  laws  for  the  pun- 
ishment of  minor  offences,  most  of  which  were  within  the  jurisdic- 
tion of  justices  of  the  peace.  Some  of  these  punishments  were  as 
follows ; 

Profane  Cursing  and  Swearing.  "  For  the  first  offence — a 
fine  of  one  shilling.  "  If  not  paid  the  culprit  to  be  set  in  the  stocks 
two  hours — For  more  than  one  profane  Oath  at  the  same  time — a 
fine  of  two  shillings  and  to  be  set  in  the  stocks  not  more  than  three 
hours." 

Drunkenness.  "For  first  offence,  a  fine  of  5  shillings — if  not 
able  to  pay,  the  convict  to  be  set  in  the  stocks  not  more  than  three 
hours." 

Defamation.  If  found  guilty  the  offender  to  be  fined  20  shillings. 
If  not  paid  to  be  set  in  the  stocks  not  more  than  three  hours.* 

Robbing  Gardens  and  Orchards.  If  the  prisoner  was  not  able 
to  pay  his  fine  to  be  set  in  the  stocks  or  whipped  at  the  discretion  of 
the  Justice,  t 

Insolence  or  Violence  to  Women  on  the  Highway.  For  first 
offence,  whipping  not  exceeding  ten  stripes.  For  second  offence,  to 
be  burnt  in  the  hand.f 

Petit  Larceny.  The  offender  to  forfeit  treble  the  value  of  the 
property  stolen,  and  to  be  fined  not  exceeding  £5,  or  whipped  not 
more  than  twenty  stripes.  If  not  paid,  the  culprit  to  be  sold  for  a 
term  of  time  to  be  fixed  at  the  discretion  of  the  court. 

The  following  sentence  of  one  Charles  Newton,  convicted  of  steal- 
ing property  of  the  value  of  three  shillings,  is  copied  from  the  early 
court  records  of  Grafton  County.  It  is  here  presented  as  illustrat- 
ing the  state  of  the  law  in  like  cases  in  the  times  of  King  George. 
The  person  from  whom  the  property  was  stolen,  and  who  was 
charged  with  the  duty  of  selling  the  culprit  into  servitude,  was'ZJea. 
John  Willottghby,  one  of  the  many  worthy  emigrants  from  Hollis, 
to  Plymouth  just  before  the  war  of  the  Revolution. 

"  Grafton,  ss.  Superior  Court,  June  Term,  1774. 

"  Dominus  Rex.  v.  Charles  Newton.  It  is  considered  by  the 
Court  that  the  said  Charles  Newton  pay  a  fine  to  his  Majesty  of 

*Col.  Laws.  p.  31. 
fCol.  Laws,  p.  189. 


1746  to   1775.]       THE    POOR    AND    THEIR    SUPPORT.  115 

Ten  Shillings,  or  be  whipped  ten  stripes  on  the  naked  back  by  the 
hands  of  the  common  whipper,  between  the  hours  of  1 1  o'clock 
A.  M.,  and  2  o'clock,  P.  M.,  to-morrow,  being  the  i6th  day  of 
June,  A.  D.,  1774. — Also  that  he  pay  to  John  Willoughby  nine 
shillings,  being  treble  the  value  of  the  goods  stolen  and  costs  of 
prosecution.  That  in  want  of  the  payment  of  the  said  nine  shil- 
lings and  cost,  he  be  sold  into  servitude  by  the  said  Willoughby  to 
any  of  his  Majesty's  liege  subjects  for  the  Term  of  Six  months, 
to  commence  on  the  i5th  day  of  June,  A.  D.  1775,  and  that  he 
stand  committed  till  sentence  be  performed." 

"  Attest,  GEORGE  KING,  CTk" 

The  Poor  and  their  Support.  By  a  law  of  the  province  of 
1719,  continued  in  force  till  long  after  the  Revolution,  all  persons 
having  dwelt  in  a  town  for  three  months,  without  being  legally 
warned  to  depart,  became  inhabitants,  and  in  case  of  inability  to 
support  themselves  from  sickness  or  other  cause,  were  required  to 
be  relieved  by  the  town.  By  the  same  law  the  town  could  protect 
itself  from  the  risk  of  the  liability  for  the  support  of  all  new- 
comers by  warning  them  to  leave  town  within  the  three  months 
after  their  first  coming.  By  an  Act  passed  in  1771,  the  time  for 
this  warning  to  leave  was  extended  to  one  year.  The  warrant  for 
this  "Warning  out,"  as  it  was  called,  was  issued  by  the  selectmen 
to  a  constable,  commanding  the  new  comer  to  depart  from  the 
town  within  a  time  fixed  in  the  warrant,  and  in  case  of  his  neglect 
to  leave,  the  law  authorized  the  issuing  of  a  second  warrant  for  his 
removal  to  his  former  residence.  If  a  person  so  removed  after- 
wards returned,  he  could  be  dealt  with  as  a  '•  vagabond."  and  sent 
to  the  house  of  correction. 

The  province  laws  of  the  times  provided  for  the  election  by 
towns  of  Overseers  of  the  Poor,  and  in  1749,  Capt.  Peter  Powers, 
Zedekiah  Drury,  and  Nathaniel  Townsend  were  chosen  to  that 
office.  This  is  the  only  instance  I  find  in  the  early  records  of  an 
election  to  that  office,  and  the  instances  were  very  rare  in  which 
any  special  tax  was  levied  for  the  svipport  of  the  poor.  The  care 
of  the  poor  as  well  as  the  protection  of  the  town  from  the  increase 
of  paupers  by  the  "Warning  out"  of  new  settlers  appear  to  have 
been  left  wholly  to  the  selectmen.  It  is  very  evident  from  the  many- 
entries  upon  the  records  of  the  issuing  and  return  of  these  notices 
that  this  harsh  and  invidious  duty  of  warning  new  settlers  to  leave 


Il6  AFRICAN    SLAVERY.  [174610   1775- 

the  town  was  very  diligently  performed  by  the  Hollis  selectmen 
and  constables  from  its  first  settlement,  till  near  the  commence- 
ment of  the  present  century. 

The  first  of  these  notices  found  in  the  records  was  in  June,  ^74^' 
the  year  of  the  charter,  and  was  directed  to  Wid.  Mary  Blanchard. 
The  next  in  time,  now  to  be  found,  >was  dated  July  6,  1749?  ar*d 
served  upon  James  Ferguson  and  John  Thompson,  requiring  them 
"  to  depart  from  the  town  in  14  days."  Between  1746  and  1797 
there  are  records  of  nearly  two  hundred  of  the  like  warrants  and 
notices,  a  part  of  them  to  single  individuals,  but  much  the  largest 
portion  embracing  whole  families,  giving  the  names  of  the  husband, 
wife  and  children.  All  new  comers,  indiscriminately,  appear  to 
have  been  exposed  to  these  inhospitable  notices,  whether  likely  to 
become  paupers  or  not.  As  evidence  of  this  lack"  of  discrimination, 
I  find  in  these  warrants  between  1767  and  :774'  the  names  of  no  less 
"than  seven  persons  who  were  afterwards  Hollis  soldiers  in  the  Rev- 
olution, and  the  like  number  who  had  been  in  the  army,  and  were 
warned  to  leave  after  the  war  was  ended.  It  is  very  evident,  how- 
ever, that  the  persons  so  warned  did  not  ordinarily  obey  this  sum- 
mons to  leave,  nor  does  it  appear  that  they  were  expected  to  do  so, 
as  we  find  in  these  warrants  not  only  the  names  of  so  many  Hollis 
soldiers,  who  did  not  go  away,  but  also  the  names  of  many  others, 
who  were  served  with  the  like  notices,  and  afterwards  remained, 
and  became  substantial  freeholders  and  valuable  and  respected  citi- 
zens. It  is  but  just  to  say  that  this  odious  and  barbarous  custom 
had  the  sanction  of  a  general  law  of  the  province,  and  I  find  no 
reason  to  believe  that  it  was  executed  more  offensively  in  Hollis 
than  in  other  New  Hampshire  towns. 

Slavery.  African  slavery  existed  in  New  Hampshire  under  the 
sanction  of  the  province  laws  till  near  the  close  of  the  war  of  the 
Revolution.  According  to  a  census  taken,  in  1767,  the  whole  pop- 
ulation of  the  province  was  52,700,  of  which  number  384  were 
slaves,  of  whom  there  were  two  in  Hollis.  In  i775  the  whole  pop- 
ulation of  New  Hampshire  had  increased  to  82,200,  and  the  slaves 
to  656,  of  whom  four  were  in  Hollis. 

I  am  indebted  to  a  granddaughter  of  Col.  David  Webster  for 
the  original  deed  of  sale  made  to  him  of  two  negro  slaves.  A  copy 
of  this  deed  is  presented  below,  showing  the  mode  of  transferring 
the  supposed  legal  title  to  this  kind  of  property  in  human  flesh  in 
accordance  with  the  laws  then  in  force  in  New  England.  Col. 


AFRICAN    SLAVERY.  llf 

Webster  was  a  distinguished  New  Hampshire  officer  in  the  war  of 
the  Revolution,  who  for  some  years  before  the  war  resided  in 
Hollis,  and  removed  from  Hollis  to  Plymouth  about  the  year  1765. 
"  Know  all  Men  by  these  Presents  that  I  Jacob  Whittier  of  Me- 
thuen  in  the  County  of  Essex  in  the  Province  of  Massachusetts 
Bay,  Yeoman,  in  consideration  of  the  Sum  Sixty  pounds  lawful 
money  paid  me  by  David  Webster  of  Plymouth  in  the  Province  of 
N.  Hampshire,  Gent,  have  sold  and  by  these  Presents  do  sell  unto 
the  said  David  Webster,  one  negro  man  named  Cicero,  and  also  one 
Negro  Woman,  named  Dinah,  both  being  servants  for  life,  and 
now  in  my  possession.  To  have  and  to  hold  the  said  Negroes 
during  the  natural  life  of  each  of  them  Respectively  to  the  said 
David  Webster,  his  heirs  and  assigns,  according  to  the  common 
usage  and  Laws  of  said  Provinces.  In  Witness  Whereof  I  have 
hereunto  set  my  hand  and  seal  the  i3th  day  of  December  Anno 
Domini  1769,  in  the  loth  year  of  his  Majesty's  reign. 
Signed  Sealed  and  delivered  in  presence  of  us. 


JACOB  WHITTIER.       \    Seal.    \ 

I  ) 


EBEN  V.  BARKER, 
ABIGAIL  BARKER. 


Il8  THE    NEW    HAMPSHIRE    GENERAL    COURT. 


CHAPTER   X. 

• 

THE  NEW  HAMPSHIRE  GENERAL  COURT. —  MEMBERS  FROM  HOLLIS 
AND  THE  OLD  DUNSTABLE  TOWNS  BEFORE  THE  REVOLUTION. 

CONTESTED  ELECTION  IN  1762. DIVISION  OF  THE  PROVINCE 

INTO  COUNTIES. ORGANIZATION  OF  HILLSBOROUGH  COUNTY. 

COUNTY  OFFICERS  FROM  .HOLLIS. THE  PINE  TREE  LAW. ITS 

•  UNPOPULARITY  AND  TROUBLE  IN  ENFORCING  IT. RIOT  AT 

WEARE. GOV.  JOHN  WENTWORTH. HIS  PERSONAL  POPU- 
LARITY.  ADDRESS  FROM  THE  PEOPLE  OF  HOLLIS. JURORS 

TO  HOLLIS. THE  FIRST  TRIAL  FOR  MURDER  IN  HILLSBOROUGH 

COUNTY. —  POPULATION  BEFORE  1775- — 1741  TO  1775- 

THE    NEW    HAMPSHIRE   GENERAL    COURT. 

From  I741 5  (the  year  when  the  new  province  line  was  settled), 
till  1775,  the  New  Hampshire  General  Court  consisted  of  a  Gover- 
nor and  twelve  Councillors  appointed  by  the  King,  and  a  House  of 
Representatives  varying  in  number  from  thirteen  to  thirty-one, 
elected  by  the  towns.  The  only  member  of  the  Governor's  Council, 
from  the  towns  formed  out  of  the  territory  of  Old  Dunstable,  was 
Col.  Joseph  Blanchard,  a  resident  of  the  new  town  of  the  same 
name,  who  was  appointed  in  1741,  and  held  his  office  till  his  death 
in  1758. 

MEMBERS    OF    THE    HOUSE    FROM    HOLLIS  AND  THE    OLD    DUNSTABLE 

TOWNS. 

There  was  no  member  of  the  House  of  Representatives  from 
either  of  the  old  Dunstable  towns  till  1752,  when  Jonathan 
Lovewell  was  chosen  for  Dunstable  and  Merrimack.  From  1762  to 
1768  these  towns  were  coupled  together  and  represented  as  follows  : 
1762.  Dunstable  and  Hollis — Dr.  John  Hale. 

Merrimack  and  Monson — Joseph  Blanchard,  Esq. 

Nottingham  West  and  Litchfield — Capt.  Samuel  Greeley. 
1768.    Dunstable  and  Hollis— Dr.  John  Hale. 

Merrimack  and  Monson — Capt.  John  Chamberlain. 

Nottingham  West  and  Litchfield— James  Underwood,  Esq. 


I741   to  1775.]   *  A    CONTESTED    ELECTION.  119 

I  find  the  following  scrap  of  characteristic  political  history  in 
respect  to  the  election  for  Hollis  and  Dunstable  in  1762,  in  the  New 
Hampshire  Historical  Collections  (v.  i,  p.  57)  which  is  here  pre- 
sented as  follows : 

"What  is  now  Hollis  was  formerly  the  West  Parish  of  Dunsta- 
ble. For  a  number  of  years  after  Hollis  was  incorporated,  the  two 
towns  were  classed  together  to  send  a  man  to  represent  them  to  the 
General  Court.  Dunstable  being  the  older  town,  required  the  Elec- 
tions to  be  uniformly  held  there,  until  Hollis  became  the  most 
populous,  when  it  was  requested  by  Hollis  that  they  should  be  held 
in  those  towns  alternately,  that  Each  might  have  an  Equal  chance. 
But  Dunstable  did  not  consent  to  this  proposal.  Hollis  feeling 
some  resentment,  mustered  all  its  forces,  leaving  at  home  scarcely 
man  or  horse.  Previously  to  this  time  the  person  cnosen  had  been 
uniformly  selected  from  Dunstable.  But  on  this  occasion  the  peo- 
ple of  Dunstable,  finding  they  were  outnumbered,  their  town  clerk 
mounted  a  pile  of  shingles  and  called  on  the  inhabitants  to  bring  in 
their  votes  for  Moderator  for  Dunstable.  The  town  clerk  of  Hollis 
mounted  another  pile  and  called  on  the  inhabitants  of  Dunstablf 
and  Hollis  to  bring  in  their  votes  for  Moderator  for  Dunstable  and 

Hollis.  The  result  was  that Lovewell,  Esq.,  was  declared 

Moderator  for  Dunstable  and  Dea.  Francis  Worcester,  Moderator 
for  Dunstable  and  Hollis.  Each  Moderator  proceeded  in  the  same 
manner  to  call  the  votes  for  Representative.  Jonathan  Lovewell, 
Esq.,  was  declared  chosen  to  represent  Dunstable  and  Dr.  John  Hale 
was  declared  chosen  to  represent  Dunstable  and  Hollis.  Accord- 
ingly both  repaired  to  Portsmouth  to  attend  the  General  Court. 
Lovewell  was  allowed  to  take  his  seat,  and  Hale  rejected.  Hale, 
however,  instead  of  returning  home,  took  measures  to  acquaint  the 
Governor  with  what  had  transpired  and  waited  the  issue.  It  was 
not  long  before  Secretary  Theodore  Atkinson  came  into  the  House 
and  proclaimed  aloud,  '  I  have  special  orders  from  his  Excellency  to 
dissolve  this  House ;  Accordingly  you  are  dissolved.'  '  God 
save  the  King.'  " 

It  appears  from  the  Journal  of  the  House  that  the  election  of 
both  Lovewell  and  Hale  was  set  aside,  and  the  House  immediately 
dissolved  by  the  Governor.  A  very  few  days  after,  a  second  elec- 
tion was  held,  and  Hale  was  returned  by  the  sheriff,  and  at  once 
obtained  his  seat  without  further  objection.* 

*Prov.  Papers,  Vol.  6,  p.  806. 


12O  ORGANIZATION    OF    HILLSBOROUGH    COUNTY. 

Dr.  Hale  was  afterwards  re-elected  and  continued  to  represent 
Hollis  and  Dunstable  till  1768,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Col. 
Samuel  Hobart,  who,  as  appears  from  the  Journal,  represented 
Hollis  only  for  the  next  six  years  till  the  Revolution.  In  1767  Dr. 
Hale  was  Lieut.  Colonel  of  the  Regiment  of  Militia  to  which  Hollis 
was  attached,  and  Col.  Hobart,  Major  of  the  same  regiment.  In 
1775,  Hale  was  appointed  Colonel  of  that  regiment,  and  Hobart 
Colonel  of  the  Second  New  Hampshire  Regiment  of  Minute  Men, 
ordered  to  be  raised  by  the  New  Hampshire  Provincial  Congress  in 
September,  1775.* 

JUSTICES    OF    THE    PEACE. 

Before  the  Revolution,  Justices  of  the  Peace  as  well  as  the  Gov- 
ernor and  Council  held  their  commissions,  as  Magistrates,  from  the 
King.  The  only  persons  in  Hollis  known  or  supposed  to  have 
been  so  commissioned  were  Samuel  Cumings,  Sen.,  the  first  Town 
clerk,  his  son  Samuel  Cumings,  Jun.,  John  Hale,  Samuel  Hobart 
and  Benjamin  Whiting,  the  first  sheriff  of  Hillsborough  County. 
Samuel  Cumings,  Jun.,  and  Whiting  were  Loyalists  or  Tories,  and 
are  supposed  to  have  left  the  State  early  in  1777  an(l  never  after- 
wards returned,  and  together  with  Thomas  Cumings,  a  brother  of 
the  former,  were  proscribed  by  an  act  of  the  New  Hampshire 
General  Court  passed  in  1778,  forbidden  to  return  and  their 
estates  confiscated.! 

ORGANIZATION    OF    IIILLSBOROUGH    COUNTY. 

Previously  to  I771  there  had  been  no  division  of  New  Hampshire 
into  counties.  Till  that  year  the  province,  in  law,  was  but  a  single 
county,  and  the  courts  of  law,  as  well  as  the  sessions  of  the  Gen- 
eral Court,  were  ordinarily  held  at  Portsmouth,  near  the  S.  E.  cor- 
ner of  the  province.  That  part  of  New  Hampshire  between  the 
Merrimack  and  Connecticut  rivers  had  for  many  years  been  largely 
settled,  and  the  settlers  west  of  the  Merrimack  had  for  a  long  time 
been  greatly  dissatisfied  with  the  inconvenience,  delays  and  ex- 
pense incident  to  their  being  so  remote  from  the  courts  of  justice 
and  seat  of  government.  As  early  as  1754  the  people  of  Hollis, 
with  a  very  large  portion  of  the  settlers  west  of  the  Merrimack. 
united  in  petitions  to  the  General  Court  setting  forth  their  grievances, 

*Prov.  Papers,  Vol.  6,  pp.  607,  641. 
fBelknap's  History  of  N.  H,,  p.  381. 


1772.]  THE    PINE    TREE    LAW.  121 

and  praying  for  a  division  of  the  province  into  counties.  But 
no  such  division  was  made  till  1771.  On  the  i9th  of  March  of  that 
year  the  General  Court  passed  an  act  dividing  the  province  into  the 
five  original  counties  of  Rockingham,  Strafford,  Hillsborough, 
Grafton  and  Cheshire.  These  counties  were  so  named  by  Gover- 
nor Wentworth  in  honor  of  some  of  his  friends  in  England  con- 
nected with  the  English  government.* 

The  county  of  Hillsborough  was  organized  the  same  year,  with 
the  county  seat  at  Amherst.  The  town  meeting  in  Hollis,  held  in 
August  of  that  year,  "Voted  to  raise  £100,  for  a  prison  at  Amherst, 
provided  it  should  be  built  on  the  South  side  of  the  Souhegan 
river." 

Two  of  the  first  Judges  of  the  Court  of  Sessions  for  the  county 
were  Matthew  Thornton,  of  Merrimack,  and  Samuel  Hobart,  of 
Hollis.  Benjamin  Whiting,  also  of  Hollis,  was  the  first  high 
Sheriff',  and  Hobart  the  first  county  Treasurer  and  Register  of 
Deeds,  his  office  being  kept  in  Hollis. 

THE      PINE      TREE      LAW,      ITS      UNPOPULARITY     AND     TROUBLE      IN 

ENFORCING    IT. 

It  will  be  remembered  by  the  careful  reader  of  the  town  char- 
ter of  Hollis  that  all  White  Pine  Trees  growing  within  the  town 
and  fit  ' '  for  the  royal  navy "  were  reserved  to  the  King  for  that 
use.  The  same  reservations  of  white  pine  trees  for  the  like  pur- 
pose were  made  in  other  New  Hampshire  town  charters  granted 
by  the  royal  governors.  As  early  as  1722,  the  New  Hampshire 
General  Court  passed  an  act  making  it  a  penal  offence  for  any 
person  to  cut  White  Pine  Trees  of  twelve  inches  in  diameter  and 
over,  a  law  that  was  continued  in  force  till  the  Revolution.  By  this 
law  the  fine  for  cutting  such  trees  of  12  inches  in  diameter  was  £5, 
— 12  to  18  inches  in  diameter,  £10, — from  18  to  24  inches,  £20, — 
exceeding  24  inches,  £50, — and  all  lumber  made  from  trees  unlaw- 
fully cut  was  forfeited  to  the  King.f  • 

It  may  well  be  supposed  that  this  law  was  not  popular  with  the 
New  Hampshire  owners  of  saw  mills,  and  farmers  -whose  lands 
abounded  with  those  trees,  which  were  quite  as  useful,  and  needful 
for  the  dwelling-houses  and  meeting-houses  of  the  inhabitants  as 
for  the  King's  navy.  At  the  time  Hillsborough  County  was 


*Belknap,  p.  344. 

tCol.  Laws,  pp.  zi6,  220. 


122  PINE    TREE    RIOT    AT    WEARE.  [J772- 

organized,  Gov.  John  Wentworth  held  the  office  of  "  Surveyor  of 
the  King's  Woods"  coupled  with  the  authority  and  duty  of  enforc- 
ing this  hated  law,  and  he  had  in  different  parts  of  the  province  his 
deputies  to  aid  in  its  execution.  It  was  among  the  duties  of  these 
deputies,  at  the  expense  of  the  land  owner,  to  mark  all  of  the 
King's  Pine  Trees,  on  land  proposed  to  be  cleared,  before  the 
owner  should  begin  his  clearing.  If  lumber  made  from  the 
King's  trees,  marked  or  unmarked,  was  found  at  saw-mills  or  else- 
where, it  was  made  the  duty  of  the  deputies  to  seize  and  sell  it  for 
the  benefit  of  his  Majesty's  treasury. 

PINE    TREE    RIOT    IN    WEARE. 

In  the  spring  of  i772  an  incident  occurred  in  the  town  of  Weare, 
in  the  northerly  part  of  Hillsborough  county,  that  well  illustrates 
the  bitter  and  settled  hostility  of  public  sentiment  to  this  odious 
law.  A  citizen  of  that  town  of  the  name  of  Mudgett,  with  others, 
had  been  charged  by  'a  deputy  surveyor  with  unlawfully  cutting  the 
king's  trees,  the  lumber  made  from  which  was  then  at  one  of  the 
saw-mills  in  Weare.  A  complaint  was  made  against  the  offender 
and  a  warrant  issued  for  his  arrest,  and  put  into  the  hands  of  Sheriff 
Whiting  for  execution.  The  sheriff,  taking  with  him  an  assistant, 
repaired  forthwith  to  Weare  and  made  prisoner  of  the  accused. 
The  arrest  being  late  in  the  afternoon,  the  prisoner  suggested  that  if 
the  officer  would  wait  till  the  next  morning  he  would  furnish  the 
necessary  bail  for  his  appearance  to  the  next  court.  The  sheriff* 
acquiesced  in  this  suggestion,  and  he.  with  his  assistants,  went  to  a 
tavern  near  by  to  pass  the  night.  The  coming  of  the  sheriff*,  with 
the  nature  of  his  mission,  to  Weare,  was  very'soon  made  known  to 
the  townsmen  of  the  accused,  who.  to  the  number  of  twenty  or 
more,  met  together,  and  during  the  night  made  their  plans  for  bail 
of  a  different  sort  from  that  understood  by  the  sheriff"  the  evening 
before.  Very  early  in  the  morning,  while  the  sheriff"  was  yet  in 
bed,  he  was  roused  from  his  slumbers  by  his  prisoner  who  told  him 
that  his  bail  was  waiting  at  his  door.  Whiting  complained  at  being 
so  early  disturbed  in  his  slumbers.  The  proposed  bail,  however, 
without  waiting  to  listen  to  any  complaints  of  this  kind,  promptly 
entered  his  sleeping-room,  each  furnished  with  a  tough,  flexible 
switch,  an  implement  better  adapted  for  making  his  mark  upon  the 
back  of  the  sheriff  than  for  writing  the  name  of  the  bail  at  the 
foot  of  a  bail  bond.  Without  allowing  their  victim  time  to  dress 


I772<]  PINE    TREE    RIOT    AT    VVEARE.  1 2J 

himself,  one  of  the  company,  as  is  said,  held  him  by  his  hands,  and 
another  by  his  feet,  while  the  rest  in  turn  proceeded  to  make  their 
marks  upon  the  naked  back  of  the  sheriff  more  to  their  own  satis- 
faction than  for  his  comfort  or  delight.  Having  in  this  way,  as  they 
said,  squared  and  crossed  out  their  pine  tree  accounts  with  the 
principal,  they  afterwards  settled  substantially  in  like  manner  with 
his  assistant.  Having  in  this  manner  satisfied  their  accounts  with 
these  officials  their  horses  were  led  to  the  door  of  the  tavern,  ready 
saddled  and  bridled,  with  their  manes,  tails  and  ears  closely 
cropped,  and  their  owners  invited  to  mount  and  leave.  Being  slow 
to  do  so,  they  were  assisted  upon  their  horses  by  some  of  the  com- 
pany and  in  that  plight  rode  away  from  Weare,  followed  by  the 
shouts  and  jeers  of  the  rioters. 

The  sheriff  was  not  of  a  temper  to  overlook  or  forgive  such  gross 
abuse  and  insults.  He  at  once  appealed  to  the  colonels  of  the  two 
nearest  regiments  of  militia,  and  with  their  aid  called  out  the  posse 
comitatus,  who,  armed  with  muskets,  marched  to  Weare  to  arrest 
the  offenders.  The  rioters  for  the  time  disappeared,  but  afterwards 
surrendered  themselves,  or  were  arrested,  and  eight  of  them  were 
indicted  for  assault  and  riot,  at  the  September  Term  of  the  Superior 
Court,  1772.  At  that  term  they  were  arraigned  and  all  pleaded 
that  they  ' '  would  not  farther  contend  with  our  Lord  the  King  but 
would  submit  to  his  Grace."  Upon  this  plea  the  court  fined  them 
the  very  moderate  sum  of  twenty  shillings  each  with  cost.  This 
very  slight  punishment  for  such  an  outrage  upon  the  high  sheriff, 
when  executing  the  legal  process  of  the  court,  would  seem  to  indi- 
cate that  the  sympathies  of  the  bench  were  quite  as  much  with  the 
prisoners  at  the  bar  and  popular  sentiment,  as  with  the  sheriff  and 
the  Pine  tree  law.  This  law  as  it  was  enforced  was  more  oppres- 
sive and  offensive  to  the  people  of  those  times  than  the  Stamp  tax 
and  Tea  tax,  and  there  is  little  doubt  that  the  attempted  execution 
of  it  contributed  quite  as  much  as  either  or  both  of  those  laws  to 
the  remarkable  unanimity  of  the  New  Hampshire  yeomanry  in 
their  hostility  to  the  British  Government  in  the  civil  war  that  soon 
followed. 

CHARACTER  OF  GOVERNOR  WENTWORTH. 

Notwithstanding  Governor  Wentworth  continued  to  hold  this 
odious  office  of  "  Surveyor  of  the  King's  Woods,"  he  was  personally 
very  popular  with  the  people  of  New  Hampshire  till  the  out-break 


124  ADDRESS    TO    GOV.   JOHN    VVENTWORTH.  [J772' 

of  the  war,  when,  still  adhering  to  the  cause  of  the  King,  he  left 
the  country.  Mr.  Sabine,  in  his  Biographies  of  the  Tories  of  the 
Revolution,  says  of  him  : 

4 'That  his  talents  were  of  a  high  order,  his  judgment  .sound,  and 
his  views  liberal.  That  he  was  a  friend  of  learning,  gave  to 
Dartmouth  College  its  Charter,  did  much  to  encourage  Agriculture 
and  to  promote  the  settlement  of  the  province  ;  Zealously  labored 
to  increase  its  importance,  and  at  the  last  retired  from  his  official 
trusts  with  a  character  unimpeached,  and  with  the  respect  of  his 
political  opponents.*" 

Still,  in  the  face  of  this  great  popularity,  Peter  Livius,  one  of  his 
council,  having  been  disappointed  in  his  ambition  for  office,  became 
his  bitter  enemy,  and  in  the  summer  of  i772'  made  complaint 
against  the  governor  to  the  home  government,  charging  him,  among 
other  things,  with  oppression  in  office  and  corrupt  interference  with 
the  courts  of  justice. 

COMPLIMENTARY    ADDRESS    TO    GOVERNOR    WENTWORTH. 

In  reference  to  this  attack  upon  Governor  Wentworth,  the  people 
of  Hollis,  at  their  annual  town  meeting  in  1773'  unanimously  voted 
a  highly  complimentary  address  to  him,  the  most  of  which  is  copied 
in  the  following  extracts  from  the  record  of  the  meeting : 

' '  May  it  please  your  Excellency : 

'.k  We,  the  inhabitants  of  Holies,  being  assembled  at  our  annual 
town  meeting,  having  been  informed  that  Peter  Livius,  Esq.,  has 
presented  a  memorial  to  the  Lords  of  Trade.  *  *  wherein  it  is 
signified  that  your  Excellency,  together  with  the  Honorable  Council, 
have  obstructed  the  channels  of  Justice  in  this  Province,  &c.,  &c. 

*  *     We,  the  Inhabitants  of  Holies,  being  sensible  of  the  many 
obligations  this  county  and  Province  are  under  to  your  Excellency, 
for  the  repeated  and  continued  instances  of  your  goodness  to  them 

*  *     in  all  respects  but  more  especially  in  your  unwearied  endeav- 
ors that  Justice  might  be  duly  and  impartially  administered  ; 

We  beg  leave  to  assure  your  Excellency  that  we  shall  hold  ourselves 
in  the  greatest  readiness  to  bear  testimony  against  all  such  false 
aspersions  of  your  Excellency's  administration,  and  think  ourselves 
in  duty  bound  to  give  our  voice  publickly — and  we  do  it  cheerfully 
and  sincerely  in  favor  of  your  Excellency's  Administration  * 

*Sabinc,  Vol.  a,  p.  411. 


1772.]  FIRST   TRIAL   FOR    MURDER    AT    AMHERST.  12$     • 

and  we  have  no  doubt  that  it  has  been  to  the  satisfaction  of  the 
people  of  this  county  and  province  *  *  We  beg  leave  to  add  that 
it  is  our  earnest  desire  that  the  Divine  Blessing  may  attend  your 
Excellency,  and  that  you  may  be  continued  in  the  important  place 
you  now  fill  for  many  years  to  come. 

"Voted  that  Hon.  Samuel  Hobart  and  Col.  John  Hale,  Esq., 
wait  on  his  Excellency  with  this  address." 

FIRST  JURORS  FROM  HOLLIS. 

The  names  of  the  first  and  only  jurors  from  Hollis,  to  the  courts 
held  at  Portsmouth,  to  be  found  in  the  records  are  under  the  date  of 
July  24,  1769,  when  Ensign  Stephen  Ames  was  "chosen"  Grand 
Juror  and  Noah  Worcester,  Petit  Juror.  The  first  Superior  Court 
for  Hillsborough  County  was  held  at  Amherst  in  September,  1771. 
The  Grand  Jurors  from  Hollis  for  this  court  were  Lt.  Reuben  Dow 
and  William  Nevins — Petit  Jurors,  Capt.  Joshua  Wright  and  Dea. 
Stephen  Jewett. 

FIRST  TRIAL  FOR   MURDER  AT  AMHERST. 

The  first  trial  for  a  capital  crime  in  Hillsborough  County  was  that 
of  Israel  Wilkins,  Jun.,  of  Hollis,  who  was  tried  upon  an  indictment 
found  against  him  by  the  Grand  Jury  in  September,  1773,  charging 
him  with  the  murder  of  his  father,  Israel  Wilkins,  Sen.,  at  Hollis, 
Nov  2,  1772.  It  appears  from  the  proceedings  and  indictment  that 
this  homicide  was  the  result  of  a  sudden  quarrel,  in  which  the  de- 
ceased was  mortally  wounded,  "by  a  blow  upon  the  head  with  a 
certain  billet  of  wood  in  the  hand  of  the  defendant  of  the  value  3d. 
thereby  giving  the  said  deceased  upon  his  left  temple,  a  mortal  wound, 
of  the  length  of  three  inches  and  the  depth  of  one  inch,  of  which 
mortal  wound  the  said  deceased,  after  languishing  for  the  space  of 
three  days,  then  and  there  died."  So  says  the  indictment. 

The  jury  upon  the  evidence  found  the  defendant  guilty  of  man- 
slaughter only,  that  crime  being  at  that  time  punishable  with  death, 
the  same  as  premeditated  murder.  The  record  of  the  trial,  after 
reciting  the  arraignment  and  plea  of  the  prisoner,  the  doings  of  the 
court,  and  the  verdict  of  the  jury,  concludes  as  follows  :  "It  being 
demanded  of  the  said  Israel  Wilkins,  Jun.,  Why  sentence  of  Death 
should  not  be  passed  upon  him,  the  said  Wilkins  prayed  the  benefit 
of  clergy,  which  was  granted.  Whereupon  the  prisoner,  the  said 
Wilkins,  was  burned  with  a  hot  iron  in  the  form  of  the  letter  T.  on 


I2O  POPULATION. 

the  brawny  part  of  the  thumb  of  his  left  hand,  and  it  is  further  con- 
sidered that  the  said  Wilkins  forfeit  all  his  Goods  and  Chattels  to 
the  King." 

Not  having  space  in  this  connection  to  speak  of  the  origin  and 
history  of  the  ancient  popish  plea  of  the  "  Benefit  of  Clergy,"  I 
take  leave  to  refer  the  reader,  who  is  curious  in  such  inquiries,  to 
Blackstone's  Commentaries  on  the  Laws  of  England  (vol.  4,  p.  364.) 
He  would  most  likely  search  in  vain  the  New  Hampshire  court 
records,  as  also  those  of  any  other  American  State,  for  any  case  in 
which  such  a  plea  has  been  allowed  for  the  last  hundred  years. 
Without  further  comment  I  leave  the  matter  as  I  find  it  to  the  curi- 
osity of  the  bar,  and  for  the  "  benefit  of  the  clergy  "  of  our  times. 

POPULATION  BEFORE  THE  REVOLUTION. 

I  do  not  find  that  any  census  was  taken  of  Hollis  prior  to  1767. 
Before  that  year  the  best  approximation  to  the  number  of  its  inhab- 
itants is  to  be  found  in  the  annual  tax-lists.  The  number  of  names 
in  those  lists  in  the  years  mentioned  below  was  as  follows ; 

1/46,  75-  '750.  93-  '755.  i°7-  >7<5o.  "7-  «7<>S.  '3>-  '767.  «6i. 

By  the  Provincial  census,  taken  in  1767?  the  population  of  the 
old  Dunstable  towns  was  as  below : 

Dunstable,  520.  Merrimack,  400.  Nottingham  West,  583. 

Holies,        809.  Litchfield,     234.  Monson,  398. 

At  that  time  Dunstable  had  four  slaves,  Hollis  and  Nottingham 
West  two  each,  Litchfield  twelve,  Merrimack  three,  Monson  none. 

In  1775,  in  September  of  that  year,  a  second  census  was  taken 
by  the  New  Hampshire  convention.  The  following  statistics  relat- 
ing to  the  old  Dunstable  towns  are  taken  from  that  census : 


Dunstable,                 f 

rhole  pop.,    705. 

Men  in  the  army,  40. 

Slaves,    7. 

Hollis, 

"         ""    1,255.' 

"     "     "      "       60. 

"         4- 

Litchfield, 

"         "         284. 

"     "     "      "        '3- 

"        10. 

Merrimack, 

606. 

"     "    "      "        19. 

'3- 

Nottingham  West, 

649. 

"      "      "         "          23. 

"         4- 

Total, 

3499- 

'54- 

33. 

Before  the  taking  of  that  census,  Hollis  had  lost  eleven  of  her 
soldiers,  of  whom  nine  had  been  killed,  and  two  died  of  disease. 

THE     SETTLEMENT     OF     PLYMOUTH,     NEW    HAMPSHIRE. A    HOLLIS 

COLONY. 

The  war  for  the  conquest  of  Canada  ended  in  1761.  Many  of 
the  soldiers  from  Hollis  who  had  been  in  that  war,  in  their  toilsome 
marches  through  the  northern  wilderness,  had  become  acquainted 


1765.]  SETTLEMENT    AT    PLYMOUTH.  127 

with  the  fine  country  on  the  upper  branches  of  the  Connecticut  and 
Merrimack.  They  returned  to  their  homes  with  so  favorable  im- 
pressions of  that  part  of  New  Hampshire,  that  in  the  fall  of  1762, 
a  party  of  eight  men  from  Hollis  went  to  what  is  now  Plymouth, 
to  explore  the  country  with  a  view  to  settlement  there.  This  ex- 
ploration, with  their  report  of  it,  resulted  the  next  year  in  obtain- 
ing a  charter  of  the  town  of  Plymouth  from  Benning  Wentworth, 
then  Governor,  dated  July  16,  1763.  Of  about  sixty  grantees 
named  in  this  charter,  near  two-thirds  were  Hollis  men.  Emigra- 
tion from  Hollis  at  once  commenced,  and  within  the  next  three 
years  a  large  number  of  the  former  residents  of  Hollis  became  set- 
tlers in  Plymouth,  of  whom  many  were  afterwards  known  as  in- 
fluential and  respected  citizens  of  that  town.  Among  them  were 
Col.  David  Hobart,  afterwards  distinguished  for  his  bravery  and 
good  conduct  as  the  Colonel  of  a  New  Hampshire  Regiment  under 
Gen.  Stark  at  the  battle  of  Bennington,  and  Col.  David  Webster, 
who  commanded  a  Regiment  of  New  Hampshire  troops  at  the 
taking  of  Burgoyne  at  Saratoga,  and  was  afterwards  sheriff  of 
Grafton  County.  Besides  the  foregoing,  there  were  Dea.  Francis 
Worcester,  for  many  years  a  deacon  of  the  Hollis  church  and  town 
treasurer,  and  afterwards  a  representative  to  the  General  Court  from 
Plymouth  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution  ;  also  three  Captains  of 
companies  in  the  army,  viz.  :  Jotham  Cumings,  John  Willoughby 
and  Amos  Webster,  the  last  of  whom  was  killed  at  the  battle  at 
Saratoga  in  the  command  of  a  company  of  infantry  attached  to  Col. 
Morgan's  famous  rifle  corps.* ' 

*New   Hampshire  Hist.  Coll.,  Vol.  3,  p.  274. 


128  EARLY    SETTLERS    OF    HOLLIS.  [l73OtO   1760. 


CHAPTER    XI. 

BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES  OF  A    PORTION    OF  THE    EARLY    SETTLERS 
OF  HOLLIS    PRIOR  TO  THE  CLOSE  OF  THE  FRENCH  WAR    OF    1754. 

ABBOT,  CAPT.  BENJAMIN 

was  from  Andover,  Mass.  His  name  was  on  the  Hollis  Tax 
Lists  in  175°-  In  J755  ne  was  Lieutenant  in  Capt.  Power's  com- 
pany, Col.  Blanchard's  regiment,  in  the  expedition  to  Crown  Point, 
and  was  again  in  the  army  in  i757-  He  was  selectman  in  1752, 
'53  and  '54.  H'.s  son  Benjamin  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolution. 
Died  January  5,  177^'  ^t.  46. 

ADAMS,   WILLIAM 

was  in  West  Dunstable  in  1738?  and  signed  the  petition  for  the 
charter  of  West  Dunstable.  Married  Mary  Spears,  May  29,  1744. 
Was  a  town  officer  in  1746.  His  son  William  was  a  soldier  at  Bun- 
ker Hill  and  Bennington.  Died  August  3,  1757,  set.  39. 

AMES,  ENSIGN  STEPHEN 

came  from  Groton,  Mass.  Married  Jane  Robbins  in  Groton,  in 
1731.  Was  in  West  Dunstable  in  1739,  selectman  in  1747  and 
1748,  and  was  a  soldier  in  the  French  war  in  1757-  Representative 
to  the  New  Hampshire  General  Court,  in  1775,  '76  and  '77.  His 
sons  Jonathan  and  David  were  soldiers  in  the  Revolution. 

BALL,  EBENEZER 

came  from  Concord,  Mass.  His  name  was  on  the  Hollis  Tax  List 
in  1749?  and  he  was  a  soldier  in  ftie  French  war  in  i755»  m  the 
company  of  Capt.  Powers.  His  sons  Ebenezer,  Nathaniel,  Wil- 
liam and  John  were  soldiers  in  the  Revolution. 

BAILEY,  DANIEL 

was  from  Marlborough,  Mass.  Settled  in  the  part  of  Hollis  known 
as  Monson,  about  the  year  i754-  Himself  and  three  of  his  sons, 
viz.  Joel,  Andrew  and  Daniel,  Jun.,  were  Revolutionary  soldiers. 
Died  January  15,  1798,  aet.  69. 


1730  to   1760.]  EARLY    SETTLERS    OF    HOLLIS.  129 

BARTON,  HENRY 

was  in  West  Dunstable  in  1738  and  signed  the  petition  for  the  char- 
ter. Was  Parish  Assessor  in  1741  and  Collector  in  1743-  Died 
April  20.  1760,  set.  54. 

BLANCHARD,  BENJAMIN 

is  supposed  to  have  come  from  Dunstable,  N.  H.  He  was  in  West 
Dunstable,  in  1743,  and  signed  the  call  to  Rev.  Mr.  Emerson. 
Married  Kezia  Hastings  Dec.  31,  1744.  Was  tithing-man  in  1747? 
and  selectman  in  1750  and  1754. 

BLOOD,  ELNATHAN 

supposed  from  Groton,  Mass.  His  name  is  on  the  first  tax  list 
for  West  Dunstable,  in  1740.  Married  Elizabeth  Boynton  in 
Groton,  in  1741.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  French  war  in  1757?  an(^ 
selectman  in  i773- 

'' 

BLOOD,  JOSIAH 

was  from  Dracut,  Mass.  Was  in  W'est  Dunstable  in  1738  and 
signed  the  petition  for  the  charter  ;  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolution, 
as  was  also  his  soli  Josiah,  Jr.,  and  is  supposed  to  have  died  at  Ti- 
conderoga  in  September.  1776. 

BLOOD,  NATHANIEL 

supposed  from  Groton.  Mass.  He  was  in  West  Dunstable  in  1738 
and  signed  the  petition  for  the  charter,  and  was  a  soldier  in  the 
French  war  in  1758.  Five  of  his  sons,  viz.,  Nathaniel,  Francis, 
Daniel,  Timothy  and  Nathan,  were  soldiers  in  the  Revolution,  the 
last  named  of  whom  was  killed  at  Bunker  Hill. 

BOYNTON,  DBA.  JOHN 

supposed  from  Newbury,  Mass.  Was  in  West  Dunstable  in  1743  ; 
parish  clerk  in  1744.  Married  Ruth  Jewett  of  Rowley  in  1745. 
Chosen  deacon  in  1755,  and  selectman  in  1758,  1761,  and  1762,  etc. 
His  sons  John  and  Jacob  were  soldiers  in  the  Revolution,  the  last 
of  whom  was  killed  at  Bunker  Hill.  Died  Oct.  29,  1787,  aet.  67. 

BOYNTON,  JR.,  JOHN 

supposed  also  from    Newbury.       He  was    in  West  Dunstable    in 
1745.     Married  Lydia  Jewett  of  Rowley,  in  May,  1745.     His  sons, 
Isaac  and  Joel,  were  Revolutionary  soldiers. 
(9) 


130  EARLY    SETTLERS    OK    HOLLIS. 

BOYNTON,  JOSHUA 

was  in  West  Dunstable  in  1745,  and  a  town  officer  in  1747.  Three 
of  his  sons,  viz.,  Joshua,  Jim.,  Benjamin  and  Elias,  were  soldiers  in 
tbe  Revolution. 

HKOWN,  ENSIGN,  JOSIAH 

came  from  Salem,  Mass.,  and  was  in  West  Dunstable  in  i743->  ancl 
a  town  officer  in  1747  and  1748-  He  was  an  ensign  in  the  French 
war  in  1758.  Removed  to  Plymouth,  N.  H.,  in  1764. 

BROWN,    JOHN 

was  also  from  Salem,  and  was  in  West  Dunstable  in  1743  and 
signed  the  call  to  Rev.  Mr.  Emerson.  Married  Kezia  Wheeler 
October  9,  1744.  Died  May  6,  1776. 

BURGE,  EPIIRAIM 

was  from  Chelmsford,  Mass.  Settled  in  Hollis  about  i  760.  Was 
a  soldier  in  Capt.  Emerson's  company  in  1777.  His  oldest  son 
Ephraim  B.,  Jun.,  was  for  many  years  a  deacon  of  the  Hollis 
church,  and  his  sons,  Rev.  Josiah  B.  and  Dr.  Benjamin  B.,  were 
graduates  of  Harvard  College.  (q.  v.)  Died  July  21,  1784, 
set.  46. 

CON  A  NT,  JOS1A11 

was  from  Salem,  Mass.  Came  to  West  Dunstable  in  1744.  Mar- 
ried Catharine  Emerson,  February,  1745-  His  two  sons,  Josiah, 
Jun.,  and  Abel,  were  soldiers  in  the  Revolution,  and  both  deacons 
of  the  Hollis  church.  Died  December  14,  1756,  a?t.  44. 

COLBURN,  IAKVT.  ROBERT 

came  from  Billerica,  Mass.,  was  in  West  Dunstable  in  1738,  and 
signed  the  petition  for  the  charter.  Married  Elizabeth  Smith  in 
1747.  Settled  in  the  part  of  Hollis  known  as  Monson.  His  sons, 
Robert,  Benjamin  and  Nathan,  were  Revolutionary  soldiers.  Died 
July  9,  1783,  jet.  66. 

CUMINGS,  ESQ.,  SAMUEL 

was  born  in  Groton,  Mass.,  March  6,  1709;  married  Prudence 
Lawrence  of  Groton,  July  18,  1732.  Was  in  West  Dunstable  in 
"739  anc'  signed  the  second  petition  for  the  charter.  He  was  the 
first  justice  of  the  peace  in  Hollis  and  was  chosen  town  clerk 
in  twenty-two  different  years,  between  1746  and  1770.  He  was 


173°  to    1760.]  EARLY    SETTLERS    OF    1IOLL1S.  131 

sergeant  in  Capt.  Powers's  company  in  the  French  war  in  1755. 
Two  of  his  sons,  Samuel  and  Thomas,  were  loyalists  in  the  Revo- 
lution, and  Benjamin,  his  youngest  son,  was  a  Continental  soldier. 

Died  January  18,  1772,  iet.  62. 

• 

CUMINGS,  JERAHMAEL 

was  a  brother  of  Samuel  Cumings,  and  born  in  Groton,  October  10, 
1711.  Married  Hannah  Farwell  in  1736;  was  in  West  Dunstable 
in  1738,  and  signed  the  first  petition  for  the  charter.  He  was  the 
father  of  Rev.  Henry  Cumings,  D.  D.,  the  first  minister  of  Bil- 
lerica,  and  of  Capt.  Jotham  Cumings,  a  soldier  in  the  French  war 
of  1755?  an(l  an  officer  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  Died  October 
25  >  i^47'  «t.  36. 

CUMINGS,  DBA.  WILLIAM 

is  supposed  to  have  come  from  Groton,  and  was  in  West  Dunstable 
in  1744,  and  chosen  Deacon  of  the  Hollis  church  in  1745.  He  was 
ensign  in  the  French  war  in  i755->  m  ^ne  company  of  Capt.  Powers, 
and  all  his  three  sons,  Ebenezer,  William  and  Philip,  were  soldiers 
in  the  Revolution.  Died  September  9,  1758,  set.  46. 

DANFORTH,  JONATHAN 

came  from  Billerica,  and  was  in  West  Dunstable  in  1743,  and  signed 
the  call  to  Rev.  Mr.  Emerson.  He  was  a  grandson  of  the  noted 
Massachusetts  surveyor  of  the  same  name,  and  was  a  town  officer  in 
1746.  Died  March  3,  1747,  a?t.  33. 

DINSMORE,  THOMAS 

came  from  Bedford,  Mass.,  was  in  West  Dunstable  previous  to  1736,. 
and  was  the  third  settler,  and  lived  on  the  farm  in  Hollis  now  owned 
by  John  Coburn  on  the  roa.d  to  Pepperell.  Died  December  10,  1748. 

DRURY,  ZEDEKIAH 

was  also  from  Bedford,  and  by  trade  a  blacksmith  ;  was  in  West 
Dunstable  in  1743,  and  signed  the  call  to  Mr.  Emerson.  About  the 
year  1765  he  removed  to  Temple,  N.  H. 

FARLEY,  LIEUT.  SAMUEL 

came  from  Bedford,  Mass.,  was  in  West  Dunstable  in  1739,  and  was 
a  petitioner  for  the  charter.  Married  Hannah  Brown  October  7, 
1744.  His  son  Benjamin  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolution.  Died 
November  23,  1797.  ast.  79. 


132  EARLY    SETTLERS    OF    HOLLIS.  [^.^O  to  1760. 

FARLEY,  LIEUT.  BENJAMIN 

was  also  from  Bedford.  Was  in  West  Dunstable  in  1738  and  a 
petitioner  for  the  charter  and  was  the  first  inn  keeper  in  West  Dun- 
stable.  He  lived  first  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  T.  G.  Worcester, 
about  one-fourth  of  a  mile  south  of  the  meeting-house.  He  was 
parish  assessor  in  1740  and  1741,  and  selectman  in  1746.  Three  of 
his  sons,  Ebenezer,  Christopher  and  Stephen,  were  Revolutionary 
soldiers.  Died  November  23,  1797,  in  his  Soth  year. 

FARLEY,  JOSEPH 

came  from  Billerica,  and  was  in  West  Dunstable  in  1743-  Killed 
by  the  fall  of  a  tree,  November  24,  1762,  ast.  49. 

FLAGG,  ELEAZER 

came  from  Concord,  Mass.,  and  was  the  second  settler  in  West 
Dunstable.  He  lived  in  the  south-west  part  of  the  town,  and  during 
the  French  war  of  1744  his  house  was  fortified  as  a  guard  house. 
He  was  parish  assessor  in  1/42.  His  son  John  was  a  soldier  in  the 
French  war,  i755->  a"d  his  son  Jonas  in  that  of  the  Revolution. 
Died  August  14,  1757.  ret.  53. 

HARDY,  PHINEAS 

came  to  Hollis  from  Bradford,  Mass.  His  name  is  first  on  the  Hollis 
tax  lists  in  1752.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  garrison  at  Portsmouth, 
jM'.  H.,  in  1776,  and  his  sons,  Phineas,  Thomas,  Noah  and  Jesse, 
were  all  soldiers  in  the  army.  Died  March  7,  1813,  ait.  86. 

HARRIS,  STEPHEN 

•was  from  Littleton,  Mass.,  and  settled  in  what  is  now  the  north 
part  of  Hollis  about  i73c>-  He  was  a  petitioner  for  the  charter  of 
West  Dunstable  in  1738,  and  first  treasurer  of  West  Dunstable  in 
1740.  Died  September  20.  1775.  ret.  75. 

JEWETT,  DEA.  STEPHEN 

is  supposed  to  have  come  to  Hollis  from  Rowley,  Mass..  in  i75Ji 
and  married  Hannah  (Farwell)  Cumings,  widow  of  Ensign  Jerah- 
mael  Cumings,  in  1752.  He  was  chosen  selectman  in  1766,  deacon 
of  the  Hollis  church  in  1770,  and  a  delegate  to  the  County  Con- 
gress at  Amherst  in  1774  and  1775.  All  of  his  three  sons.  Steph- 
en, Jun.,  Noah  and  Jonathan,  were  soldiers  in  the  Revolution, 
Died  Mav  23.  1803,  aet.  75- 


I73O  tO   1760.]  EARLY    SETTLERS    IN    HOLLIS.  133 

KEMP,   ZERUBBABEL 

was  born  in  Groton,  Mass.,  October  12,  1705.  Married  Abigail 
Lawrence,  in  Groton,  November  23,  1737.  Was  in  West  Dunsta- 
ble  in  1743?  and  a  town  officer  in  1748- 

MCDONALD,  JAMES 

also  came  from  Groton  and  was  in  West  Dunstable  in  1739'  an<l  <* 
signer  of  the  second  petition  for  the  charter.  He  was  a  town  officer 
in  1748  and  a  soldier  in  1777  in  the  company  of  Capt.  Goss.  Died 
April  ii,  i8oi,aet.  83. 

NEVIXS,    WILLIAM 

came  from  Newton,  Mass.,  and  his  name  appears  in  the  first  tax  list 
in  West  Dunstable  in  1740.  He  was  selectman  in  1771  and  1772, 
and  moderator  in  1773  and  J774-  Five  of  his  sons,  viz.,  William, 
Joseph,  Benjamin,  John  and  Phineas,  were  Revolutionary  soldiers. 
Died  February  15,  1785,  aet.  67. 

NEVINS,    DAVID 

was  from  Bedford,  Mass.,  and  was  in  West  Dunstable  in  1738  and 
signed  the  first  petition  for  the  charter.  He  was  parish  collector  in 
1741.  Removed  from  Hollis  to  Plymouth  among  the  first  settlers 
of  Plymouth. 

•      NOYES,  DBA.  E.VOCH 

came  from  Newbury,  Mass.  His  name  first  appears  on  the  Hollis 
tax  lists  in  1747-  He  was  selectman  in  1751,  and  chosen  deacon  in 
1755.  His  two  sons,  Enoch  and  Elijah,  were  soldiers  in  the  Revo- 
lution. Died  September  1796,  aet.  80. 

PATCH,  DBA.  THOMAS 

was  from  Groton.  Married  Anna  Gilson  in  1741,  in  Groton.  He 
was  in  West  Dunstable  in  1743?  an(l  was  chosen  deacon  in  1/45. 
His  sons,  Thomas  and  David,  were  soldiers  in  the  Revolution. 
Died  May  i,  1754,  ast.  40. 

POOL,  WILLIAM 

was  from  Reading,  Mass.  Married  Hannah  Nichols,  at  Reading. 
June  19,  I751-  an(l  came  to  Hollis  during  the  French  war  of  i7l>4. 
his  name  being  first  found  on  the  Hollis  tax  lists  in  1758.  He  was 
selectman  in  1771.  Died  in  Hollis,  October  27.  1795.  a>t.  /o.  His 
oldest  son,  William  W.,  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolution  in  1775-  <intl 


134  EARLY    SETTLERS    IN    HOLLIS.  [^S0  to   1 

again  in  1778.  James,  the  second  son,  settled  in  Maine,  and  be- 
came a  successful  merchant.  His  youngest  son.  Hon.  Benjamin 
Pool,  born  January  17,  1771,  settled  in  Hollis.  and  was  many  times 
chosen  to  important  town  offices.  He  was  justice  of  the  peace  from 
iSioto  1822.  and  justice  of  the  peace  and  quorum  from  1822  till  his 
decease.  He  was  '  also  representative  to  the  New  Hampshire 
General  Court  from  1804  to  1809.  and  State  senator  in  the  years 
1818.  '19,  '20  and  '21.  Beside  these  three  sons,  Mr.  Pool  had 
eleven  daughters,  ten  of  whom  lived  to  adult  age,  and  were  all 
married,  and  most  of  them  became  the  mothers  of  large  families. 
He  died  April  20.  1836.  jet.  6v 

POWERS,  CAPT.  PETER 

was  the  first  settler  in  Hollis.  Was  born  in  Littleton.  Mass..  and 
married  Anna  Keyes  of  Chelmsford  in  1728.  Settled  in  West  Dun- 
stable  in  1730.  He  was  parish  committee  in  1740  and  held  many 
other  important  parish  and  town  offices.  He  was  the  first  Captain 
of  the  West  Dunstable  militia,  the  commander  of  an  expedition  to 
explore  the  Coos  countrv  in  1754,  and  captain  of  the  Hollis  com- 
pany in  the  expedition  to  Crown  Point  in  1755.  .Stephen,  Whit- 
comb  and  Levi,  three  of  his  sons,  were  soldiers  in  the  French  war 
in  the  same  company  :  and  four  of  them.  viz..  Stephen,  Francis, 
Nahum  and  Samson  were  soldiers  in  the  Revolution.  Died  August 
22.  1757.  ait.  56. 

PROCTOR,  MpSES 

came  from  Chelmsford,  Mass.  Was  in  West  Dunstable  in  1738, 
and  signed  the  first  petition  for  the  charter.  He  settled  in  the  west 
part  of  the  town  on  Proctor  hill,  which  was  named  for  him.  His 
name  is  found  on  the  first  West  Dunstable  tax  list  in  1740.  and  he 
was  selectman  in  1749.  The  life  of  Mr.  Proctor  is  •  said  to  have 
been  shortened  by  the  bite  of  a  rattlesnake,  and  he  afterwards  waged 
so  successful  a  war  of  extermination  against  those  reptiles  that  no 
rattlesnakes  have  been  known  in  Hollis  since  his  death.  Died 
May  21.  1780.  ajt.  73*. 

TAYLOR.  ABRAHAM 

was  born  in  Concord.  Mass.,  and  came  to  West  Dunstable  previ- 
ously to  1738.  and  was  agent  of  the  inhabitants  with  Capt.  Powers  in 
obtaining  the  charter.  In  1740  he  gave  the  land  for  the  Hollis 
meeting-house,  burial  ground  and  common.  He  was  parish  asses- 
sor in  1740.  '41.  '42  and  '43.  Died  June  3.  1743.  «et.  36. 


1/3°  to   1760.]  EARLY    SETTLKKS    IN    HOLLIS.  135 

TENNY,  WILLIAM 

came  to  Hollis  from  Rowley,  Mass.  His  name  appears  first  on  the 
Hollis  tax  lists  in  1747.  He  was  selectman  in  1769  and  1770. 
His  son,  Capt.  William  Tenny.  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolution. 
Died  March  22.  1783.  aet.  61. 

WHEELER.  PETER 

is  said  to  have  come  from  Salem,  Mass.,  and  settled  in  the  part  of 
Hollis  known  as  Monson.  He  was  a  petitioner  for  the  charter  of 
West  Dunstable  in  i73^?  ant^  ms  name  was  on  the  first  West  Dun- 
stable  tax  list  in  1740.  He  is  said  to  have  been  noted- in  his  day  for 
his  exploits  and  success  in  hunting,  especially  of  bears.  He  wras  a 
soldier  in  the  French  war  in  1755,  and  his  sons,  Ebenezer  and 
Lebbeus.  were  soldiers  in  the  Revolution.  Died  March  28,,  1772, 
agt.  67. 

WILLOUGHBY,  JOHN 

came  from  Billerica.  He  was  in  West  Dunstable  in  1745  and  was  a 
.soldier  in  the  French  war,  in  the  years  1755?  I757i  an<J  I75^-  His 
son.  John  W.,  Jun.,  was  a  captain  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution  in 
the  regiment  of  Col.  Webster.  Died  February  2.  1793,  aet.  8v 

WORCESTER,    REV.  FRANCIS 

was  born  in  Bradford,  Mass.,  June  7,  1698.  Married  Abigail 
Carleton,  of  Rowley,  in  1720.  Was  settled  as  a  Congregational 
minister  in  Sandwich.  Mass.,  for  ten  years  before  coming  to  Hollis. 
Removed  to  Hollis  in  1750.  Afterwards  preached  as  an  evangelist 
in  New  Hampshire,  but  was  not  again  settled  in  the  ministry.  He 
was  the  author  of  a  small  volume  of  ;'  Meditations  "  in  verse,  written 
in  his  sixtieth  year.  Also  of  several  moral  and  religious  essays 
reprinted  in  1760,  entitled  "  A  Bridle  for  Sinners  and  a  Spur  for 
Saints."  His  oldest  son  was  Dea.  Francis  Worcester.  His  second 
son.  Jesse,  was  a  soldier  in  the  French  war.  was  taken  prisoner, 
and  died  at  Montreal,  in  I7S7'  His  youngest  son  was  Capt.  Noah 
Worcester.  Died  October  14.  1783.  <vt.  85. 

WORCESTER.  DEA.   FRAN'CIS 

was  die  oldest  son  of  Rev.  Francis  Worcester.  Born  at  Bradford, 
March  30,  1721.  Married  Hannah  Boynton,  of  Newbury,  Mass., 
October  28,  I741-  Came  to  West  Dunstable  in  1744-  Was  chosen 
deacon  of  the  Hollis  church  in  1746.  He  was  selectman  in  Hollis 


136 


HOLLIS    TAX    LIST. 


[1775- 


six  years,  moderator  of  the  annual  town  meeting  eleven  years,  and 
town  treasurer  twenty  years,  between  1746  and  1768.  In  1768  he 
•removed  to  Plymouth,  N.  H.,  and  was  deacon  of  the  church  at  Ply- 
mouth ;  representative  to  New  Hampshire  General  Court  in  1777 
and  1778,  and  State  councillor  in  1780,  1781  and  1783.  Died  Oc- 
tober 19,  1800,  aet.  79. 

WRIGHT,  CAPT.  JOSHUA 

came  from  Woburn,  Mass.,  was  in  West  Dunstable  in  1739,  and 
signed  the  second  petition  for  the  charter.  He  was  selectman  in 
1749  and  1769.  A  soldier  in  the  French  war  in  1760,  and  Captain 
of  the  Hollis  militia  company,  in  i775>  an(^  previously.  His  sons, 
Lemuel  and  Uriah,  were  soldiers  in  the  Revolution.  Died  August 
5,  1776,  set.  60. 

HOLLIS    TAX    LISTS. 


NAMES      ON     THE    HOLLIS     ktEAST    SIDE" 
LISTS    IN   JANUARY   I 


AND 

1775- 


WEST    SIDE 


TAX 


The  following  lists,  copied  from  the  records,  present  all  the 
names  of  .the  tax  payers,  January  i,  1775,  then  on  the  Hollis  tax 
lists,  with  the  amount  of  the  province  tax  for  1774,  assessed  to  each 
in  pounds,  shillings  and  pence.  This  was  the  last  tax  collected  in 
Hollis  under  the  authority  of  the  King.  The  names  marked  thus* 
will  be  found  in  the  lists  of  the  Hollis  soldiers  in  the  Revolution. 

ON    THE    EAST    SIDE. 


Wd.  Elizabeth  Abbot, 
Jeremiah  Ames, 
Ens.  Stephen  Ames, 
*jonathan  Ames, 
Nathaniel  Ball, 
*Nathaniel  Ball,  Jun., 
Wd.  Abigail  Barron, 
Phineas  Bennett, 
Joshua  Blanchard, 
*Josiah  Blood, 
*Josiah  Blood,  Jun., 
*Nathaniel  Blood, 
*Francis  Blood, 
Ebenezer  Blood, 
*Nathan  Blood, 
Caleb  Blood, 
Dea.  John  Boynton, 
*Joshua  Boynton, 
*Benjamin  Boynton, 


1  5  John  Boynton,  Jun., 

6  3  *William  Brooks, 
5  9  *John  Brooks, 

2  6  *Ephraim  Burge, 

8  6  *John  Campbell, 

2  8  *Sam'l  Chamberlain, 

1  5  *James  Colburn, 

2  10  *Josiah  Conant, 

2  3  Sam'l  Cumings,  Esq., 

5  2  *John  Cumings, 

3  9  *Lt.  Reuben  Dow, 

7  8  Peter  Eads 

6  6  Lt.  Amos  Eastman, 

4  9  *Amos  Eastman,  Jun., 
3  i)  *Jonathan  Eastman, 

a  3  *Christopher  Farley, 

9  4  Lt.  Sam'l  Farley, 

7  3  Benjamin  Farmer, 
3  3  *Minott  Farmer, 


HOLLIS   TAX    LIST. 


'37 


*David  Farnsworth, 
*Ens.  Jonas  Flagg, 
James  French, 
John  French, 
Josiah  French, 
Timothy  French, 
*John  Goss, 
*CoI.  John  Hale, 
*Lemuel  Hardy, 
*Samuel  Hill, 
*Hon.  Samuel  Hobart, 
Shubael  Hobart, 
*Parmeter  Honey, 
Richard  Hopkins, 
*Ephraim  How, 
*Joseph  How, 
Wd.  Hannah  Hunt, 
Josiah  Hunt, 
*Ebenezer  Jaquith, 
Thomas  Jaquith, 
*Jacob  Jewett, 
Dea.  Stephen  Jewett, 
Dea.  Nath'l  Jewett, 
*Ebenezer  Jewett, 
Edward  John, 
*Samuel  Jewett, 
Zach'h  Kemp, 
*Israel  Kinney, 
Oliver  Lawrence, 
Zach'h  Lawrence, 
Zach'h  Lawrence,  Jun., 
Joseph  Lesley, 
*Jonas  Lesley, 
Chris'r  Lovejoy, 
Daniel  Lovejoy, 
Daniel  Lovejoy,  Jun., 
Wid.  Patience  Martin, 
Ens.  Daniel  Merrill, 
*James  McConnor, 
Dea.  Enoch  Noyes, 


Samuel  Abbot, 
*John  Atwell, 
Benjamin  Austin, 
*Daniel  Bailey, 
*Joel  Bailey, 
*Joseph  Bailey, 
*Richard  Bailey, 
Timothy  Bailey, 
*Ebenezer  Ball, 
*EIeazer  Ball, 
*Joshua  Blanchard,  Jun. 
*Ebenezer  Ball,  Jr., 
*DanieI  Blood, 


£ 

s. 

d. 

8 

3 

James  Nutting, 

7 

5 

Benjamin  Parker, 

3 

2 

Elea'r  Parker, 

4 

8 

Sam'l  Parker, 

S 

2 

Sam'l  Parker,  Jun., 

3 

0 

*Ephraim  Pierce, 

7 

6 

*Solomon  Pierce, 

'4 

2 

Barzillai  Pierce, 

4 

9 

Richard  Pierce, 

2 

3 

Simon  Pierce, 

i 

3 

S 

Jona.  Philbrick, 

8 

S 

Wd.  Anna  Powers, 

2 

3 

*Samson  Powers, 

2 

S 

*Stephen  Powers, 

2 

3 

William  Pool, 

4 

2 

Cyrus  Proctor, 

i 

2 

Moses  Proctor, 

4 

8 

*Moses  Proctor,  Jun., 

6 

5 

Philip  Proctor, 

6 

3 

Nehemiah  Ranger, 

7 

S 

William  Read, 

S 

5 

*James  Rideout, 

10 

0 

William  Searl, 

4 

o 

Ebenezer  Shed, 

2 

6 

Abel  Shipley, 

7 

ii 

Joshua  Simonds, 

S 

2 

Jacob  Smith, 

2 

S 

*Joshua  Smith, 

H 

3 

*Isaac  Stearns, 

7 

ii 

*Caleb  Stiles, 

3 

6 

Edward  Taylor, 

S 

3 

Benjamin  Tenney 

2 

6 

William  Tenney, 

2 

5 

*William  Tenney,  Jun., 

6 

3 

Daniel  Wheeler, 

2 

3 

*Ens.  Noah  Worcester, 

1 

6 

Capt.  Joshua  Wright, 

8 

o 

*Lemue!  Wright, 

2 

3 

Timothy  Wyman, 

7 

8 

ON 

THE    WEST    SIDE. 

£ 

s. 

d. 

2 

3 

*Daniel  Blood,  Jun., 

7 

3 

Elnathan  Blood, 

3 

4 

*Jonas  Blood, 

S 

9 

*Abel  Brown, 

2 

3 

Joseph  Brown, 

2 

10 

William  Brown, 

2 

6 

Edward  Carter, 

2 

3 

*Edward  Carter,  Jun., 

6 

6 

Lt.  Robert  Colburn, 

S 

3 

*Robert  Colburn,  Jun., 

2 

3 

William  Colburn, 

2 

ii 

*John  Conroy, 

2 

9 

*John  Conroy,  Jun., 

*. 


d. 

3  3 

4  2 

2  3 

6  2 

2  3 

3  3 
2  6 

2  3 


138                                                       HOLLIS    TAX    LIST.  [*775' 

£       s.  d.  £       s.  d. 

*SaniuelCoiiroy,  3  3  Bcnj'n  Nurse,  2  6 

Timothy  Cook,   .  2  9  Josiah  Parker,  6  8 

*Philip  Cumings,  2  8  *Thomas  Patch,  4  n 

Jonathan  Danforth,  3  3  John  Phelps,  7  a 

*Jacob  Danforth,  2  S  *Nathan  Phelps,  2  3 

*Thomas  Emerson,  3  1 1  *John  Philbrick,  3  <) 

*Dan'l  Emerson,  Jun.,  5  o  Thomas  Powers,  4  o 

Joseph  Estabrooks,  2,  3  *Thomas  Pratt,  2  3 

*Caleb  Farley,  7  6  *Ezekiel  Proctor,  2  i' 

Ebenezer  Farley,  2  6  Benj'n  Reed,  2  3 

*Ebenezer  Farley,  Jun.,  4  3  *Jacob  Reed,  3  6 

*James  Fisk,  2  5  *Jonathan  Russ,  3  S 

Oliver  Fletcher,  3  5  *Benj'n  Saunderson,  4  a 

Ephraim  French,  2  3  *Robert  Seaver,  o  3 

*Isaac  French,  2  3  *Jerem'h  Shattuck,  2  3 

*Nehemiah  French,  2  9  *Wm.  Shattuck,  3  6 

Nicholas  French,  3  3  Zach'h  Shattuck,  5  11 

*William  French,  o  u  *Zach'h  Shattuck,  Jim.  3  3 

John  Goodhue,  4  2  Benj'n  Simpson,  3  5 

*Samuel  Goodhue,  6  2  Thomas  Smith,  3  6 

Samuel  Gridley,  2  11  Wd.  Mary  Smith,  9  S 

Moses  Hadley,  3  2  *Joseph  Stearns,  2  6 

*Aaron  Hardy,  4  9  Sam'l  Stearns,  Jr.,  4  3 

*Nehemiah  Hardy,  2  6  Isaac  Stevens.  2  8 

*Phineas  Hardy,  4  3  *Isaac  Stevens,  Jun..  2  S 

*Phineas  Hardy,  Jun.,  2  3  *Jonathan  Taylor,  7  3 

Stephen  Harris,  4  S  *David  Wallingford.  6  6 

Samuel  Haydeii,  5  o  Solomon  Wheat,  2  u 

*John  Hobart,  4  3  "Thomas  Wheat,  9  6 

Jonathan  Hobart,  6  3  *Thomas  Wheat,  Jun.,  3  6 

*jona.  Hobart,  Jun.,  2  3  *Ebenezer  Wheeler,  4  6 

Jacob  Jewett,  Jr.,  5  S  *Lebbeus  Wheeler,  2  3 

*James  Jewett,  5  ]  i  *Thaddeus  Wheeler,  5  a 

*Ed ward  Johnson,  2  8  Benj'n  Whiting,  Esq..  6  2 

•  *Samuel  Johnson,  2  6  Capt.  Leonard  Whiting.  10  6 

*Daniel  Kendrick.  7  n  *Bray  Wilkins,  7  2 

*Abner  Keyes,  3  9  *Jonas  Willoughby.  3  6 

Abra'm  Leeman,  3  6  John  Willoughby.  3  S 

Sam'l  Leeman,  3  2  Sam'l  Willoughby.  5  o 

*Sam'l  Leeman,  Jun.,  2  3  *Israel  Wilkins,  7  2 

Israel  Mead.  i  5  *Nehemiah  Woods,  4  2 

*James  McDaniels,  5  6  *Benj'n  Wright,  3  6 

*Daniel  Mooar,  2  9  Sam'l  Wright.  6  3 

*Joseph  Minott,  2  6  *Sam'l  Wright,  jun.,  2  8 

.    William  Nevins,  9  2  *Jessc  Wyman,  3  9 

*Wm.  Nevins,  Jqn.,  4  n  Timo.  Wyman,  Jun..  2  6 

*Benj'n  Nevins,  2  3  *Ebene/.er  Youngman,  2  3 

*Joseph  Nevins.  2  9  *Nicholas  Youngman.  3  9 

Whole  number  of  names  on  the  above  tax-lists,  239.      Number 

marked  thus  *.  as  having  been  in  the  army.  130. 


THE    BEGINNING    OF    THS    REVOLUTION.  139 


CHAPTER    XII. 

THE    BEGINNING    OF    THE    REVOLUTION. HOLLIS    TOWN    MEETINGS. 

PATRIOTIC  RESOLUTIONS. HOLLIS  MILITIA. ALARM  LIST. 

THE    COUNTY     CONGRESS     AT    AMHERST. COMPANY    OF    MINUTE 

MEN  TO  LEXINGTON    AND  CAMBRIDGE    APRIL   1C). OFFICERS    AND 

HOLI.    OF    THIS    COMPANY. WAGES    OF    THE    MEN. 

Written  history  as  well  as  tradition,  and  the  provincial  and  early 
State  records,  alike  with  the  records  of  many  of  the  older  towns  in 
New  Hampshire,  bear  ample  testimony  to  the  unanimity,  courage, 
constancy  and  sacrifices  of  the  people  of  the  then  province  in  the 
cause  of  our  national  independence.  The  town  meeting  of  those 
times,  the  family  gathering  of  a  sturdy,  grave  and  thoughtful  yeo- 
manry .  was  near  of  kin  and  the  next  door  neighbor  to  the  family  altar 
and  hearth-stone.  It  was  an  original  New  England  invention — the 
rude,  it  may  be.  but  fitting  cradle  of  American  Independence — alike 
the  admiration  and  despair  of  the  friends  of  constitutional  liberty 
the  world  over. 

"Stern  rugged  nurse,  thy  rigid  lore 
With  patience  many  :i  year  she  bore. 
What  sorrow  was  thou  badst  her  know.'T 

One  could  hardly  find  or  hope  for  a  better  or  more  perfect  work- 
ing model  of  this  novel  political  machinery  than  was  to  be  met  with 
in  the  town  meetings  of  Hollis  from  the  year  1775  to  1783.  There 
is  abundant  evidence  that  the  like  spirit  and  patriotism  animated 
many  of  the  other  New  Hampshire  towns  as  were  manifested  in  the 
town  meetings  and  doings  of  the  people  of  Hollis,  though  it  is  be- 
lieved that  in  but  few  of  them  were  their  revolutionary  records  and 
documents,  at  the  time,  so  carefully  kept,-  and  since  then  so  well 
preserved.  In  what  I  have  to  say  of  the  doings  of  Hollis,  in  the 
Revolution,  it  is  not  my  wish  or  purpose  to  make  any  invidious  com- 
parison between  those  doings  and  what  was  done  in  the  same  cause 
in  the  same  years  by  other  New  Hampshire  towns,  but  rather  to 


140  WAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  Cr775' 

present  this  sketch  of  Hollis  as  an  illustration  of  the  predominance 
of  the  public  sentiment  of  the  province.  Ab  uno  disce  omnes. 

Hollis  (spelled  Holies  in  the  town  charter  as  well  as  in  all  the 
early  town  records)  wras  on  the  south  line  of  the  province,  adjoining 
Pepperell,  about  forty-five  miles  northwest  of  Boston  and  twenty- 
three  from  Concord,  Mass.  By  the  census  taken  in  September, 
1775,  the  whole  number  of  its  inhabitants  was  1255,  of  whom  174 
were  males  between  the  ages  of  16  and  50,  71  males  over  50,  60  of 
its  men  then  in  the  army,  besides  the  eleven  who  had  before  been 
killed  in  the  service  or  died  of  sickness.*  There  were  also  in  the 
town  one  hundred  and  thirty-one  fire-arms,  and  one  hundred  and 
eleven  pounds  of  powder,  the  property  of  private  persons,  but  none 
at  that  date  in  the  town  store,  the  ammunition  of  the  town  having 
been  all  exhausted  the  spring  previous. 

In  respect  to  what  was  done  by  the  town  in  the  war  that  followed, 
the  "  coming  events  cast  their  shadows  before"  in  the  resolutions 
and  doings  of  several  town  meetings  held  long  before  the  first  blood 
was  shed  at  Lexington.  The  records  of  these  first  gatherings,  and 
of  all  other  meetings  of  the  town,  for  the  like  purpose  held  till  the 
war  was  ended,  tell  their  own  story  in  plain,  blunt,  terse  Anglo 
Saxon,  and  need  no  comment  of  mine  to  add  force  or  point  totheir 
meaning,  or  to  make  them  more  intelligible.  Where  my  limits 
will  permit,  it  is  my  purpose  to  let  them  speak  in  their  own 
language. 

In  the  record  of  a  special  town  meeting  held  November  7,  1774, 
more  than  five  months  before  the  battle  at  Lexington,  I  find  the  first 
recorded  allusion  to  the  existing  political  troubles  and  forthcoming 
conflict.  This  meeting  was  called  to  choose  delegates  for  the  town 
to  a  County  Congress  (so-called)  for  Hillsborough  County,  to  be 
held  the  next  day,  (November  8,)  at  Amherst,  this  being  the  first  of 
three  special  Hollis  town  meetings  called  for  the  like  purpose. 
After  having  made  choice  of  >k  Dea.  Stephen  Jewett.  Ensign 
Stephen  Ames  and  Lieut.  Reuben  Dow "  to  represent  the  town 
at  that  Congress,  the  following  preamble  and  resolution,  with  three 
other  resolutions  of  the  like  tenor,  were  adopted  by  the  meeting : 

"PREAMBLE. — We,  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Holies,  having 
taken  into  our  most  serious  consideration  the  precarious  and  most 
alarming  affairs  of  our  land  at  the  present  day,  do  firmly  enter  into 
the  following  resolutions : 

*N.  II.  Hist.  Coll.,  v.  i,  p.  233. 


1 775-J  WAR    01*  THE    REVOLUTION.  141 

ist.  "  That  we  will  at  all  times  endeavor  to  maintain  our  liberty 
and  privileges,  both  civil  and  sacred,  even  at  the  risque  of  our  lives 
and  fortunes,  and  will  not  only  disapprove,  but  wholly  despise  all 
such  persons  as  we  have  just  and  solid  reasons  to  think  even  wish  us 
in  any  measure  to  be  deprived  of  them." 

This  year,  (1774)  it  appears  from  the  tax  list,  that  the  sum  of 
£27,  1 6s.  3d.  was  assessed  upon  the  inhabitants  for  ammunition  for 
the  town,  as  a  part  of  the  annual  tax. 

The  next  special  town  meeting  was  held  December  30,1774  to 
choose  delegates  to  a  Provincial  Congress  at  Exeter,  called  to  advise 
in  respect  to  a  Continental  Congress.  At  this  meeting,  as  shown 
by  the  record,  the  following  votes  were  passed : 

• '  i  st.  Voted  to  send  a  delegate  to  Exeter  to  meet  the  delegates  of 
this  province  to  consult  on  a  Continental  Congress,  and  John  Hale, 
Esq.,  was  chosen  said  delegate. 

"  2d.  Voted  that  we  do  cordially  accede  to  the  just  statement  of 
the  rights  and  grievances  of  the  British  colonies  and  the  measures 
adopted  and  recommended  by  the  Continental  Congress  for  the  res- 
toration and  establishment  of  the  former,  and  for  the  redress  of  the 
latter. 

"3d.  Voted  that  Col.  John  Hale,  Dea.  Stephen  Jewett,  Dea. 
John  Boynton,  Ensign  Stephen  Ames,  Dea.  Enoch  Noves,  Ensign 
Noah  Worcester,  Daniel  Kendrick,  Jeremiah  Ames.  William 
Brown  and  William  Nevins  or  the  major  part  of  them,  be  a  com- 
mittee in  behalf  of  the  town  to  observe  the  conduct  of  all  persons 
touching  the  association  agreement. 

"4th.  Voted  to  raise  £16.  135.  Sd.  as  a  donation  to  the  poor  of 
Boston." 

There  are  still  to  be  found  among  the  revolutionary  documents  of 
Hollis,  three  original  rolls  of  military  companies,  all  made  in  the 
year  1775.  The  two  oldest  of  these  rolls  bear  date  January  26, 
1775.  and  the  third  of  them  June  7,  of  the  same  year,  ten  days  be- 
fore the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  The  heading  of  one  of  the  two 
oldest  rolls  is  "A  List  of  the  Company  of  Militia  in  Holies 
under  the  command  of  Capt,  Joshua  Wright,  made  January 
26,  1775-  Of  this  company,  Reuben  Dow  was  Lieutenant  and 
Noah  Worcester,  Ensign.  There  were  also  four  Sergeants,  viz., 
John  Atwell,  Jacob  Jewett.  Jun.,  John  Cumings  and  William 
Brooks.  Besides  those  officers,  this  roll  contains  the  names  of  one 
Corporal,  one  Drummer,  one  Fifer.  and  214,  rank  and  file — 224  in 


142 


WAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION. 


['775- 


all — supposed  to  have  been  the  names  of  all  the  able  bodied   men 
in  the  town  Hable  under  the  law  to  do  military  service. 

The  caption  of  the  second  roll  is  the  "Alarm  List"  made  Jan- 
uary 26th,  1775.  On  this  list  are  100  names,  and  it  is  supposed  to 
include  the  names  of  all  such  able  bodied  men  of  the  town  as  by 
the  province  law  were  exempt  from  military  duty,  either  on  ac- 
count of  age  or  other  cause  specified  in  the  law.  The  list  contains 
the  names  of  two  millers,  viz.,  Thomas  Jaquith  and  Enoch  Noyes 
— millers  then  being  excused  from  doing  military  duty.  It  also 
contained  the  names  of  twenty-seven  persons  who  were  designated 
with  the  title  senior*  indicating  that  each  of  the  twenty-seven  had  a 
son  of  the  same  name.  For  the  purpose  of  exhibiting  the  character 
of  this  roll  as  a  curiosity  of  the  times  the  first  twenty-four  names, 
copied  from  it  in  the  order  in  which  they  stood  upon  the  list,  are 
presented  below  with  the  several  titles  prefixed  or  appended  to  each 
of  them.  Whether  or  not  this  order  is  intended  to  indicate  the  rel- 
ative social  rank  and  standing  of  these  dignitaries  is  left  to  con- 
jecture. 


Capt.  LEONARD  WHITING, 
BENJAMIN  WHITING,  Esq., 
RICHARD  CUTTS  SHANNON,  Esq., 
SAMUEL  CUMINGS,  Esq., 
DANIEL  EMERSON,  Jun.,  Esq., 
Lieut.  BENJAMIN  FARLEY, 
Lt.  SAMUEL  FARLEY, 
Lt.  DAVID  FARNSWORTH, 
Lt.  AMOS  EASTMAN, 
Lt.  ROBERT  COLBURN, 
Lt.  SAMUEL  GRIDLEV, 
Ensign  STEPHEN  AMES, 


Ensign  DANIEL  MERRILL, 
Ensign  JONAS  FLAGG, 
Ensign  BENJAMIN  PARKEK. 
Rev.  DANIEL  EMERSON, 
Dea.  SAMUEL  GOODHUE, 
Dea.  NATHANIEL  JEWETT. 
Dea.  ENOCH  NOYES, 
Dea.  JOHN  BOYNTON, 
Dea.  STEPHEN  JEWETT, 
WILLIAM  CUMINGS,  Sch.  Master. 
JOHN  HALE,  Physician, 
SAMUEL  HOSLEY,  do. 


The  title  of  the  third  of  those  rolls  is  as  follows  :  "  7'he  List  of 
the  present  Militia  Company  of  Holies,  Exclusive  of  the  M/'it- 
itte  ^\Icn  and  all  that  have  gone  into  the  army  June  ye  fth,  J7?J." 
Of  this  Company  Noah  Worcester  was  Captain,  Daniel  Kendrick. 
Lieutenant,  and  Jacob  Jewett,  Ensign,  and  inclusive  of  these 
officers  this  roll  contains  122  names,  102  less  than  the  militia  com- 
pany roll  made  on  the  previous  26th  of  January. 

In  the  record  of  the  annual  town  meeting  of  March  6,  1775?  no 
reference  in  any  way  was  made  to  the  impending  troubles,  but  on 
the  3d  of  April  following,  a  special  town  meeting  was  summoned 
to  choose  delegates  to  a  second  County  Congress  to  be  held  at  Am- 
herst  on  the  5th  of  that  month,  "  and  to  see  what  method  should  be 
taken  to  raise  money  for  the  Continental  Congress  at  Philadelphia." 


1 775-]  WAR,  OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  143 

Having  made  choice  of  "Dea.  Stephen  Jewett "  and  "Dea.  Enoch 
Noyes "  as  delegates  to  that  Congress,  and  voted  such  instructions 
to  them  as  the  meeting  thought  prudent,  it  also  "  Voted  that  all 
persons  who  shall  pay  money  by  subscription  to  send  noiv  to  the 
Continental  Congress,  shall  have  the  same '  deducted  out  of  their 
Province  Rates." 

The  next  special  town  meeting  was  held  April  23,  1775-  uP°n 
the  receipt  of  the  following  letter  from  Col.  John  Wentworth,  writ- 
ten the  day  after  the  battle  of  Lexington,  to  the  selectmen  of  Hollis, 
in  behalf  of  the  New  Hampshire  Committee  of  Safety,  and  which 
forms  a  part  of  the  record  of  the  meeting : 

"  Gentlemen  :  This  moment  melancholy  intelligence  has  been 
received  of  hostilities  bemg  commenced  between  the  troops  under 
the  command  of  General  Gage  and  our  brethren  of  the  Massachu- 
setts Bay.  The  importance  of  our  exerting  ourselves  at  this  critical 
moment  has  caused  the  provincial  committee  to  meet  at  Exeter,  and 
you  are  requested  instantly  to  choose  and  hasten  forward  a  delegate 
or  delegates  to  join  the  committee  and  aid  them  in  consulting 
measures  necessary  for  our  safetv. 

J.  WENTWORTH. 
In  behalf  of  the  Committee  of  Safety." 

"  Province  of  New  Hampshire.      |  Special    town   meeting.   April 

Hillsborough  County,   SS.  23,    i/75- 

"  Pursuant  to  the  above  notice  and  request,  the  inhabitants  of  the 
town  of  Holies  being  met,  unanimously  voted,  that  Samuel  Hobart, 
Esq.,  be  and  hereby  is  appointed  to  represent  this  town  at  Exeter, 
with  other  delegates,  that  are  or  shall  be  appointed  by  the  several 
towns  of  this  Province  for  the  purpose  above  mentioned. 

NOAH  WORCESTER.  Town  Clerk." 


The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  fu$r  record  of  a  town  meeting, 
April  28,  1775,  called  to  rais^  soldiers  for  the  army,  nine  days  after 
the  battle  of  Lexington  : 

"  Province  of  New  Hampshire,  1  Special  meeting  April  28,  1775. 
Hillsborough  County,  SS.  f  Col.  John  Hale,  Moderator. 

"At  a  meeting  of  the  town  of  Holies  called  on  a  sudden  emer- 
gency in  the  day  of  our  public  distress. 

"  i  st.  Voted,  that  we  will  pay  two  commissioned  officers,  four 
non-commissioned  officers,  arid  thirty-four  rank  and  file,  making  in 
the  whole  forty  good  and  able  men  to  join  the  army  in  Cambridge, 


144  WAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  [I775- 

paying  said  officers  and  men  the  same  wages  the  Massachusetts  men 
receive,  and  will  also  victual  the  same  till  such  time  as  the  resolu- 
tion of  the  General  Court  or  the  Congress  of  the  Province  of  New 
Hampshire  shall  be  known  respecting  the  raising  of  a  standing 
army  the  ensuing  summer. 

"  2nd.  Voted,  that  the  selectmen  provide  necessaries  for  sundry 
poor  families  where  the  men  are  gone  into  the  army  till  further 
orders,  and  the  amount  be  deducted  out  of  their  wages.  • 

"  3d.  Voted,  that  what  grain  was  raised  for  the  poor  of  Boston 
shall  be  one  half  sent  to  the  army,  and  the  other  half  to  be  dis- 
tributed to  the  above  families." 

The  sequel  of  the  doings  of  the  town,  both  in  the  first  and  follow- 
ing years  of  the  war,  furnishes  abundant  evidence  that  this  vote  of 
the  28th  of  April  was  not  an  empty  boast,  and  that  the  patriotic 
pledges  then  made  were  amply  and  faithfully  redeemed. 

The  extract  presented  below  is  copied  from  the  proceedings  of  a 
town  meeting,  May  n,  1775,  called  to  choose  delegates  to  the  Pro- 
vincial Congress  at  Exeter,  to  be  holden  May  i7th. 

"  Voted  and  chose  Col.  John  Hale  and  Deacon  Enoch  Noyes 
Delegates  to  the  Provincial  Congress  to  meet  at  Exeter  on  the  ryth 
of  May  inst.  Also,  Voted  and  instructed  our  delegates  to  join  the 
other  Governments  in  raising  and  paying  their  proportions  in  men 
and  money  in  the  defence  of  the  Liberties  of  these  Colonies." 

Next  below  is  presented  a  copy  in  full  of  the  record  of  the  third 
town  meeting,  May  18,  1775,  to  appoint  and  instruct  delegates  to 
the  third  and  last  County  Congress  to  be  held  at  Amherst,  on  the 
following  24th  of  May. 

'  'Province  of  New  Hampshire,  1  Speci'l  town  meeting  MayiS,  1775, 
Hillsborough  County,  SS.  f  Ensign  Noah  Worcester, moderator. 

"  At  a  meeting  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Holies,  May  the 
i8th,  in  the  day  of  our  public  distress,  occasioned  by  a  letter  from 
Mr.  Daniel  Campbell  and  Mr.  Jonathan  Martin,  a  committee  for 
calling  a  Congress  for  this  county,  which  Congress  was  called  for 
the  following  purpose : 

"  i.  To  go  into  some  measures  for  the  better  security  of  the  inter- 
nal policy  of  the  county  to  prevent  declining  into  a  state  of  nature. 

•'2.  To  see  if  the  Congress  will  appoint  a  committee  of  corres- 
pondence to  wait  on  or  join  the  Congress  of  Massachusetts  Bay. 

"3.  To  enforce  a  strict  adherence  to  the  Association  Agreement 
of  the  Continentel  Congress. 


1 775-]  MINUTE    MEN   TO    CAMBRIDGE.  145 

"Mr.  William  Nevins,  Mr.  Jeremiah  Ames  and  Lieut.  Samuel 
Farley,  chosen  delegates  for  the  Congress  which  is  to  be  holden  at 
Amherst  on  the  24th  of  May  next.  As  to  the  article  in  the  letter  of 
Messrs.  Campbell  and  Martin  respecting  the  sending  a  committee 
to  the  Massachusetts  Congress, 

"  Voted  unanimously  that  as  we  have  a  Provincial  Congress  now 
sitting,  which  will  doubtless  send  to  them — therefore  it  appears  to  us 
not  best  for  this  county  to  take  it  upon  them  to  send  such  a  com- 
mittee." 

It  is  very  evident  from  the  foregoing  proceedings  and  vote  that  the 
people  of  Hollis  were  in  no  degree  in  sympathy  with  a  part,  at  least, 
of  the  supposed  purposes  of  this  County  Congress.  On  the  contrary 
they  regarded  some  of  the  objects  and  doings  of  that  Congress  as 
usurpations,  and  as  tending  to  disunion.  This  view  of  the  people  of 
the  town  will  more  fully  appear  in  an  able  and  thoughtful  memo- 
rial of  their  Committee  of  Safety  (still  preserved)  and  addressed  to 
the  County  Congress  in  July  of  that  year.  A  copy  of  this  memorial 
may  be  found  in  the  "New  Hampshire  Provincial  Papers,  vol. 
vii;  page  450." 

It  is  shown  by  the  town  records  that  the  style  "  Province  of  New 
Hampshire"  was  used  in  the  margin  of  all  warrants  for  town  meet- 
ings till  after  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  June  17,  1775.  After  that 
date,  till  July  4,  1776,  the  word  "  Colony"  was  used  in  those  war- 
rants, in  the  place  of  Province.  After  the  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence the  word  "  State  "  took  the  place  of  colony  and  province. 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  record  of  the  last  Hollis  town 
meeting  in  1775'  an<^  shows  among  other  things  how  the  right  to 
vote  of  soldiers  absent  in  the  army  was  settled  by  our  ancestors  one 
hundred  years  ago. 

•' Colony  of  New  Hampshire,     )  Special  meeting,  Dec.   12,  1775. 
Hillsborough  County,  SS.       ^       Col.  John  Hale,  Moderator. 

"  Voted  and  chose  Ensign  Stephen  Ames  a  delegate  to  the  Con- 
gress or  Assembly  at  Exeter  for  a  year. 

"SOLDIERS'  VOTES. — A  dispute  arose   respecting   some   votes 
which  were  brought    in    writing  of  persons  gone  into  the  army, 
which   being   put  to  vote  they  were   allowed  as  if  the  men  were 
present  themselves." 
(10) 


146  t        MINUTE    MEN    TO    CAMBRIDGE.  [I775" 

THE    COMPANY     OF      HOLLIS      MINUTE       MEN     FOR     LEXINGTON     ANI> 

CAMBRIDGE. 

Late  at  night  on  the  i8th  of  April  the  detachment  of  British 
troops  under  command  of  Lt.  Col.  Smith  crossed  over  from  Bos- 
ton common  to  East  Cambridge  on  their  march  to  Lexington  and 
Concord.  The  distance  from  Hollis  to  Cambridge,  by  the  roads 
then  travelled,  was  torty-two  miles.  The  alarm  of  this  expedition 
was  at  once  spread  through  the  country  by  mounted  express.  Ac- 
cording to  well'  established  tradition  the  news  of  it  was  brought  to 
Hollis  about  noon  of  the  I9th,  by  Dea.  John  Boynton,  who  lived  in 
the  south  part  of  the  town,  near  the  province  line,  and  was  one  of  the 
committee  of  observation.  Dea.  Boynton  came  riding  through  the 
town  at  the  top  of  his  horse's  speed,  calling  out  to  his  townsmen,  as 
he  passed,  '•'•the  Regulars  are  coming  and  killing  our  men"  Dea. 
Boynton  (as  the  tradition  tells  the  story),  riding  at  full  speed,  and 
out  of  breath,  announced  his  message  at  the  door  of  Capt.  Wor- 
cester, another  member  of  the  same  committee,  living  a  little  south 
of  the  Hollis  common,  who  had  just  risen  from  his  dinner,  and  was 
then  standing  at  his  looking  glass  with  his  face  well  lathered,  and 
in  the  act  of  shaving.  Capt.  Worcester,  without  stopping  to  finish 
his  work,  with  his  face  still  w  hitened  for  the  razor,  at  once  dropped 
that  instrument,  hurried  to  his  stable,  mounted  his  horse,  and  in 
that  plight  assisted  in  spreading  the  alarm.  Other  mounted  mes- 
sengers were  soon  despatched  to  the  several  parts  of  the  town  to 
carry  the  news,  and  in  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day  ninety-two 
minute  men  were  rallied  and  met  on  the  Hollis  common,  with 
their  muskets, — each  writh  his  powder  horn,  and  one  pound  of 
powder  from  the  town's  stock  and  twrenty  bullets. 

A  story  is  told  in  the  same  connection  of  five  brothers  of  the 
name  of  Nevins,  then  living  in  the  north  part  of  the  town,  all  of 
whom  were  afterwards  in  the  army,  which  illustrates  the  spirit  and 
promptness  with  which  these  minute  men  met  this  alarm.  Early  in 
the  afternoon  of  the  I9th  of  April  three  of  these  brothers  were  at 
work  with  their  crowbars  in  digging  stone  for  a  farm  wall  at  a 
short  distance  from  their  home.  At  the  coming  in  sight  of  the 
messenger,  they  had  partially  raised  from  its  place  a  large  flat  stone 
embedded  in  a  farm  roadway.  Seeing  the  messenger  spurring 
towards  them  at  full  speed,  one  of  the  brothers  put  a  small  boulder 
under  the  large  stone  to  keep  it  in  the  position  to  which  it  had  been 
raised,  and  all  stopped  and  listened  to  the  message  of  the  horseman. 


»775-] 


MINUTE    MEN    TO    CAMBRIDGE. 


'47 


Upon  hearing  it,  leaving  the  stone  as  it  was  in  the  roadway,  with 
the  little  boulder  under  it,  they  hastened  to  the  house,  and  all  three 
of  them,  with  their  guns  and  equipments,  hurried  to  the  Hollis 
common  to  join  their  company.  One  of  those  brothers  was  after- 
wards killed  at  Bunker  Hill ;  another,  the  spring  following,  lost  his 
life  in  the  service  in  New  York.  As  a  family  me'mento  of  this  inci- 
dent, this  large  stone,  with  the  small  one  supporting  it,  was  per- 
mitted to  remain  for  more  than  seventy  years  afterward,  in  the  same 
position  in  which  the  brothers  had  left  it  on  the  i9th  of  April. 

Having  made  choice,  the  same  afternoon,  of  Reuben  Dow  as 
Captain,  John  Goss,  first  Lieutenant,  and  John  Cumings,  2d  Lieu- 
tenant, this  company  on  the  evening  of  the  igth,  or  before  day- 
light the  next  morning,  was  on  its  march  from  Hollis  to  Cambridge. 
The  names  of  all  the  officers  of  the  company,  and  also  of  the  private 
soldiers,  are  presented  in  the  list  below,  copied  from  an  original 
company  roll,  preserved  by  Capt.  Dow,  and  now  with  the  Hollis 
documents,  showing  the  date  of  enlistment,  time  of  service,  daily 
wages  of  officers  and  privates,  pay  for  ttavel  from  Hollis  to  Cam- 
bridge, and  back,  and  the  amount  of  money  paid  to  each  of  them 
by  the  town.  This  document  is  entitled.  "  A  Muster  Roll  of  Capt. 
Reuben  Dow's  Company  of  Minute  Men  who  marched  from  Holies 
the  I9th  of  April,  1775,"  and  may  be  found  in  full,  in  the  October 
number  of  the  New  England  Historical  and  Genealogical  Register, 
pp.  282,  283. 


Reuben  Dow,  Capt., 

John  Goss,  ist  Lieut., 

John  Cumings,  2(1.  Lieut., 

Nathan  Blood,  Sergt, 

Joshua  Boynton,     " 

William  Nevins,    " 

Minot  Farmer,        " 

Samson  Powers,  Corp'l. 

James  Mclntosh,      " 

James  McConnor,     " 

Ephraim  Blood, 

David  Farnsworth,  drummer,     Samuel  Conroy,       " 

Noah  Worcester,  Jr.,  Fifer,          Beiij'n  Cumings       "• 

Benjamin  Abbot,  Private,  Jacob  Danforth,       " 

David  Ames,  "  James  Dickey,          •' 

Jonathan  Ames,  ••  Amos  Eastman,       " 

John  Atwell,  ••  Jonathan  Eastman,  " 

Ebenezer  Ball,  "  Benj'n  Farley,          " 

Nathaniel  Ball,  ••  Ebenezer  Farley,     " 

Job  Bailey,  "  James  Fisk,  " 

Joel  Bailey,  "  Josiah  Fisk,  " 

Joseph  Bailey.  ••  William  French,      " 


Richard  Bailey,  Private. 
Daniel  Blood,  " 

Francis  Flood, 
Jonas  Blood, 
Benj'n  Boynton,       " 
Elias  Boynton,         " 
Abel  Brown, 
John  Campbell,         " 
James  Colburn, 
Nathan  Colburn, 
Thomas  Colburn,     " 


Ebenezer  Gilson,  Private 
Manuel  Grace.  •• 

Aaron  Hardy, 
Samuel  Hill, 
Samuel  Hosley, 
Ephraim  How, 
Ebenezer  Jaquith.      " 
Samuel  Jcwett,  "• 

Edward  Johnson, 
Sam'l  Johnson.  •• 

Thomas  Kemp.         " 
Abner  Keyes. 
Israel  Kinney,  ;>- 

Samuel  Leeman,        '• 
Randall  McDaniels,  "• 
Joseph  Minot. 
Benjamin  Nevins, 
Joseph  Nevins,  "• 

Thomas  Patch, 
Nathan  Phelps,          "• 
Jolin  Philbrick, 
Ephraim  Pierce. 


MINUTE    MEN    TO    CAMBRIDGE. 


[1775- 


Nahum  Powers,  Private, 
Thomas  Pratt, 
Ezekiel  Proctor, 
Jacob  Reed, 
Jonathan  Russ, 
Benjamin  Sanders, 
Robert  Seaver, 
Jacob  Spalding, 
Isaac  Stearns, 


Amos  Taylor,    Private 
Daniel  Taylor, 
William  Tenney, 
David  Wallingford, 
Nathaniel  Wheat, 
Thomas  Wheat, 
Ebenezer  Wheeler, 
Thaddeus  Wheeler, 
Lebbeus  Wheeler, 


Bray  Wilkins,   Private, 

Israel  Wilkins, 

William  Wood, 

Benjamin  Wright, 

Benj.  Wright,  Jun., 

Uriah  Wright, 

Jesse  Wyman, 

Ebenezer  Youngmao,  private. 


Thirty-nine  of  the  privates  of  the  company,  after  an  absence  of 
from  five  to  twelve  days,  returned  to  Hollis.  The  remaining  fifty- 
three,  with  but  few  if  any  exceptions,  stayed  at  Cambridge  and 
volunteered  in  other  companies  to  serve  for  eight  months.  Much 
the  largest  part  of  those  who  remained  at  Cambridge  re-enlisted 
for  eight  months  in  a  new  company  under  Capt.  Dow,  of  which 
John  Goss  was  also  ist  Lieutenant,  and  John  Cumings,  2d  Lieuten- 
ant. This  company  was  afterwards  mustered  into  the  Massachu- 
setts regiment  commanded  by  Col.  William  Prescott,  the  hero  of 
Bunker  Hill,  who  at  the  time  lived  near  the  north  line  of  the  ad- 
joining town  of  Pepperell,  a  large  part  of  his  farm  being  in  Hollis. 
Thomas  Colburn  and  Ebenezer  Youngman,  two  of  these  minute 
men,  enlisted  in  the  company  of  Capt.  Moor,  of  Groton,  Mass.,  in 
the  same  regiment,  and  were  both  killed  in  the  fight  at  Bunker  Hill. 
Job  Bailey,  Ephraim  How,  and  Samuel  Leeman,  three  others  of 
them,  joined  the  company  of  Capt.  Levi  Spalding  of  Nottingham 
West,  (now  Hudson)  in  the  New  Hampshire  regiment,  that  fought 
at  Bunker  Hill  under  Col.  Reed,  and  were  all  present  in  the  battle. 
Six  others  of  them,  viz.,  Joel  Bailey,  Richard  Bailey,  Nathan  Col- 
burn.  Abner  Keyes,  David  Wallingford,  and  Bray  Wilkins,  volun- 
teered in  the  company  of  Capt.  Archelaus  Town,  of  Amherst, 
New  Hampshire,  afterwards  mustered  into  the  2^th  Massachusetts 
regiment,  commanded  by  Col.  Hutchinson.  Of  this  company, 
Wallingford  was  2d  Lieutenant,  and  Wilkins,  one  of  the  Sergeants. 

It  is  shown  by  the  original  company  roll  of  the  Hollis  minute 
men,  that  the  wages  paid  to  the  private  soldiers  of  the  company 
were  one  shilling  and  five  pence  per  day,  equal  to  about  24  cents  in 
federal  money.  They  were  also  paid  one  penny  a  mile  each  way 
for  travel,  making  in  all  84d.  or  75.,  the  distance  from  Hollis  to 
Cambridge  being  42  miles.  The  wages  of  the  Captain  were  45. 
6d.,  or  about  75  cents  per  day;  those  of  the  ist  Lieutenant,  2s. 
icd. ;  of  the  2d  Lieutenant,  2s.  6d. ;  of  the  Sergeants,  is.  8  3-4, 
or  some  less  .than  30  cents  per  day.  The  full  amount  paid  by  the 
own  for  the  services  of  this  company,  as  shown  by  this  same  roll, 
was  £65.  i2s.  7d. 


*775-]  HOLLIS    MEN    AT    BUNKER   HILL.  149- 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

1775    CONTINUED. —  HOLLIS  COMPANY   AT   BUNKER    HILL. ROLL, 

AND  DESCRIPTIVE  LIST. CAPT.  DOW's    COMMISSION. BATTLE 

OF  BUNKER  HILL. HOLLIS  MEN  KILLED  AND  WOUNDED. LOSS 

OF    EOJJIPMENTS. THE    NEW  HAMPSHIRE  REINFORCEMENTS. 

CAPT.  WORCESTER'S  COMPANY. —  NUMBER  OF  HOLLIS  SOLDIERS 

IN  1775  AND  THEIR  WAGES. MILITARY  COATS. STORY  OF  A 

PATRIOTIC  HOLLIS  WOMAN. 

The  new  company  of  Capt.  Dow,  enlisted  at  Cambridge,  for 
eight  months,  including  its  officers,  consisted  of  fifty-nine  men,  that 
number  making  a  full  company  under  the  law  of  Massachusetts 
for  organizing  the  troops  of  that  province.  It  is  shown  by  an  origi- 
nal return  roll  of  this  company,  dated  October  6,  1775'  presenting 
the  names  "of  the  dead  and  wounded  as  well  as  of  those  then  living, 
now  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary'  of  State,  at  Boston,  that  all  the 
men  were  from  Hollis.  This  roll  is  preserved  with  the  other  com- 
pany rolls  of  the  regiment  of  Col.  Prescott,  and  it  may  be  seen  on 
inspection  of  them  that  Capt.  Dow's  was  the  only  company  of  the 
regiment,  in  which  all  the  officers  and  privates  were  from  one  and 
the  same  town. 

The  names  of  the  officers  and  privates  of  the  company,  as  first 
organized,  are  here  presented,  copied  from  an  original  roll  pre- 
served in  the  family  of  Capt.  Dow.  Captain,  Reuben  Dow;  ist 
Lieuteiiant,  John  Goss ;  2cl  Lieutenant,  John  Cunnings.  Ser- 
geants, ist,  Nathan  Blood;  2d,  Joshua  Boynton ;  3d,  William 
Nevins  ;  4th,  Minot  Farmer.  Corporals,  ist,  Samson  Powers  :  2d, 
James  Mclntosh ;  3d,  James  McConnor ;  4th,  Ephraim  Pierce. 
Drummer,  David  Farnsworth.  Fifer,  Noah  Worcester,  Jun. 

PRIVATES. 

William  Adams,  Jacob  Boynton,  Benjamin  Cumings, 

David  Ames,  Abel  Brown,  Philip  Cumings, 

Ebenezer  Ball,  John  Campbell,  Peter  Cumings, 

Francis  Blood,  Wilder  Chamberlain,  Evan  Dow, 

EHas  Boynton,  AbelConant,  Caleb  Eastman. 


HOLLIS    MEN    AT    BUNKER    HILL. 


['775- 


William   Elliot. 
James  Fisk, 
Josiah  Fisk, 
Samuel  Hill. 
Isaac  Hobart, 
Samuel  Hosley, 
Samuel  Jewett, 
Thomas  Kemp, 
Israel  Kinney, 
Phineas  Nevins, 


Nehemiah  Pierce, 
John  Platts, 
Peter  Poor, 
Nahum  Powers, 
Francis  Powers, 
Jonathan  Powers. 
Thomas  Pratt, 
Ezekiel  Proctor, 
Jacob  Read, 
Jeremiah  Shattuck, 


Jacob  Spalding, 
Isaac  Stearns, 
Amos  Taylor, 
Daniel  Taylor. 
Moses  Thurston, 
Ebenezer  Townsend 
Thomas  Wheat, 
Lebbeus  Wheeler, 
William  Wood, 
Uriah  Wright. 


Nathaniel  Patten, 

Five  members  of  the  company,  viz.,  the  2cl.  Lieut.,  John  Cumings  ; 
Ebenezer  Ball,  Ephraim  Blood,  Jonathan  Powers  and  Isaac  Stearns, 
were  soldiers  in  the  last  French  and  Indian  war,  begun  in  the  year 
1754,  and  which  resulted  in  the  final  conquest  of  Canada. 

An  original  descriptive  roll  of  fifty  of  the  non-commissioned 
officers  and  private  soldiers  of  the  company  still  exists,  showing 
their  height,  age  and  complexion.  From  this  roll  it  appears  that 
Jonathan  Powers,  who  was  of  the  age  of  sixty  years,  was  the  oldest, 
and  that  Peter  Cumings,  a  son  of  the  2d  Lieutenant,  and  but  thir- 
teen, was  the  youngest.  The  next  youngest,  was  Noah  Worcester, 
Jun.,  the  fifer,  who  was  sixteen  the  November  previous.  The  four 
tallest  of  the  men  were  each  six  feet  in  height — the  shortest  was  the 
boy,  Peter  Cumings,  who  was  but  five  feet.  Fourteen  of  the  men 
were  of  "  dark"  complexion,  the  remaining  thirty-six,  "  light." 

COPY    OF    THE    DESCRIPTIVE    ROLL. 


: 

a 
bo 

< 

Complexion. 

CJj 

a 

« 

bo 
< 

Complexion. 

be 

'3 

a 

William  Adams 

20 

Light, 

S  ft.    S  in. 

James  McConner 

31 

Light, 

5  ft-   7  in- 

Ebenezer  Ball 

45 

Dark, 

5  ft.    6  in. 

James  Mclntosh 

3» 

" 

5  ft.  6  in. 

Nathan  Blood 

28 

Light, 

6ft. 

Phineas  Nevins 

'7 

" 

S  ft.  6  in. 

Francis  Blood 

37 

6ft. 

Nathaniel  Patten 

4' 

Dark, 

S  ft.   6  in. 

Ephraim  Blood 

37 

" 

5  ft.  ii  in. 

Nehemiah  Pierce 

20 

Light, 

5  ft.   7  in. 

Jacob  Boynton 
Elias  Boynton 
Joshua  Boynton 
John  Campbell 
Abel  Conant 

19 

30 
3° 

20 
J9 

Dark, 
Light, 

Sft.    9  in. 
5  ft.  io  in. 
S  ft.    6  in. 
5  ft.    9  in. 
5  ft.    6  in. 

John  Platts 
Peter  Poor 
Nahum  Powers 
Francis  Powers 
Jonathan  Powers 

27 

21 

35 
£ 

Dark, 
Light, 

S  ft.   9  in. 

5  ft-   S  in- 
5  ft.   9  in. 
5  ft.   6  in. 
S  ft.   9  in. 

Philip  Cumings 

37 

" 

S  ft.   6  in. 

Samson  Powers 

26 

" 

5  ft.   6  in. 

Benjamin  Cumings 
Peter  Cumings 

»9 
13 

;; 

S  ft.  Ji  in. 

sft. 

Thomas  Pratt 
Ezekiel  Proctor 

35 
40 

Dark, 

5  ft.  10  in. 
5  ft.   6  in. 

Evan  Dow 

21 

" 

S  ft.    6  in. 

Iacob  Read 

48 

S  ft.  io  in. 

Caleb  Eastman 

22 

Dark, 

5  ft.    8  in. 

eremiah  Shattuck 

20 

" 

5  ft.  io  in. 

William  Elliot 

2O 

Light, 

5  ft.    -r  in. 

acob  Spalding 

20 

Light, 

S  ft.   4  in. 

Minot  Farmer 

25 

" 

<  ft.    8  in. 

saac  Stearns 

38 

5  ft.   S  i"- 

David    Farnsworth 

21 

«« 

6ft. 

Amos  Taylor 

37 

« 

S  ft.   8  in. 

James  Fisk 

37 

Dark, 

S  ft.    9  in. 

Moses  Thurston 

48 

<« 

S  ft.   6  in. 

Josiah  Fisk 

20 

Light, 

5  ft-    Sin. 

Ebenezer  Townsend 

22 

«< 

S  ft.  io  in. 

Samuel  Hill 

21 

14 

6ft. 

Thomas  Wheat 

24 

Dark, 

S  ft.  8  in. 

Isaac  Hobart 

19 

" 

5  ft.    6  in. 

Lebbeus  Wheeler 

23 

Light, 

5  ft.  6  in. 

Samuel  Hosley 

23 

" 

5  ft.   7  in. 

William  Wood 

33 

" 

S  ft.   6  in. 

Samuel  Jewett 
Thomas  Kemp 

'9 
37 

Dark, 

5  ft.    6  in. 
Sft.    7  in. 

Noah  Worcester,  Jr. 
Uriah  Wright 

16 

31 

Daik, 

5  ft.  io  in. 
S  ft.  6  in. 

I 

1 775-1  HOLMS    MEN    AT    BUNKEK    HIM..  151 

Besides  the  fifty-nine  eight  months'  men  in  the  company  of  Capt. 
Dow,  Thomas  Colburn,  Samuel  Conroy,  Samuel  Wright,  and 
Ebenezer  Youngman,  enlisted  in  the  company  of  Capt.  Moor,  of 
Groton,  in  the  same  regiment,  and  eight  other  Hollis  soldiers,  viz., 
Andrew  Bailey,  Job  Bailey,  Phineas  Hardy,  Thomas  Hardy, 
Ephraim  How,  Samuel  Leeman,Jun.,  Ephraim  Rolfe,  and  Ephraim 
Smith,  enlisted  in  the  company  of  Capt.  Spalding,  in  the  New 
Hampshire  regiment  under  Col.  Reed,  and  all  of  them  were  present 
at  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  Joel  Bailey,  Richard  Bailey,  Josiah 
Bruce,  Nathan  Colburn,  Joseph  French,  Nehemiah  French,  Abner 
Keyes,  David  WallSngford  and  Bray  Wilkins,  nine  other  Hollis 
men,  enlisted  for  the  like  time  in  the  company  of  Capt  Towne  of 
Amherst,  which,  as  appears  from  the  company  roll,  still  preserved, 
afterwards  joined  the  27th  Massachusetts  regiment,  which  served  at 
the  siege  of  Boston  under  Col.  Hutchirison.  These  several  num- 
bers, added  to  the  fifty-nine  names  in  the  company  roll  of  Capt. 
Dow,  make  in  all,  eighty  eight  months'  soldiers  who  went  from 
Hollis  in  the  spring  or  early  in  the  summer  of  1775. 

The  original  commission  of  Capt.  Dow,  dated  May  19,  1775, 
with  the  autograph  signature  of  Gen.  Joseph  Warren,  president 
pro  tem.  ot  the  Massachusetts  Congress,  who  was  killed  at  Bunker 
Hill  about  four  weeks  after,  is  now  among  the  Hollis  documents. 
A  copy  of  this  commission  is  here  presented. 

•'THE  CONGRESS  OF  THE  COLONY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS  BAY. 

"  To  REUBEN  Dow,  gentleman. 
"Greeting: 

"We  reposing  especial  trust  and  confidence  in  your  courage  and 
^ood  conduct,  do  by  these  presents  constitute  and  appoint  you,  the 
said  Reuben  Dow,  to  be  Captain  in  the company  in  the  Regi- 
ment of  foot  commanded  by  William  Prescott,  Esq.,  Colonel, 
raised  by  the  Congress  aforesaid  for  the  defence  of  said  colony. 

"You  are,  therefore,  carefully  and  diligently  to  discharge  the 
duty  of  a  Captain  in  leading,  ordering  and  exercising  the  said  com 
pany  in  arms,  both  inferior  officers  and  soldiers,  and  to  keep  them 
in  good  order  and  discipline  ;  and  they  are  hereby  commanded  to 
obey  you  as  their  Captain  ;  and  you  are,  yourself,  to  observe  and 
follow  such  orders  and  instructions  as  you  shall  from  time  to  time 
receive  from  the  General  and  commander  in  chief  of  the  forces 


152  HOLLIS    MEN    AT    BUNKER    HILL.  [X775' 

raised  in  the  colony  aforesaid,  for  the  defence  of  the  same,  or  any 
other  your  superior  officers  according  to  military  rules  and  disci- 
pline in  war,  in  pursuance  of  the  trust  reposed  in  you. 

"  By  order  of  the  Congress, 

"Jos.  WARREN,  President  P.  T, 

"  Watertown,  the  i9thof  May,  A/D.,  1775. 
"  Sam1.  Freeman,  Secretary  P.  T." 

The  regiment  of  Col.  Prescott,  with  other  Massachusetts  regi- 
ments, was  stationed  at  Cambridge  till  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill. 
About  nine  o'clock  on  the  night  of  the  i6th  of  June  the  companies 
of  Captains  Dow  and  Moor,  with  the  regiment  of  Col.  Prescott, 
,  and  detachments  from  two  or  three  other  regiments,  by  orders  of 
the  Massachusetts  Committee  of  Safety,  with  their  arms,  spades 
and  other  intrenching  tools,  marched  from  Cambridge  common  to 
Charlestown,  and  took  possession  of  the  heights  upon  which,  the 
next  day,  was  fought  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  Col.  Prescott  was 
at  the  head  of  the  detachment,  in  a  simple  appropriate  uniform, 
with  a  blue  coat  and  three  cornered  hat.  Two  Sergeants  carrying 
dark  lanterns  were  in  front  of  him,  and  the  intrenching  tools  in 
carts  in  the  rear.  The  men  had  been  ordered  to  take  with  them 
in  their  knapsacks,  one  day's  rations,  but  many  of  them  neglected 
to  obey  this  'order.  After  one  or  more  halts,  for  consultation 
of  the  officers,  the  detachment  reached  the  hill  to  be  fortified  about 
midnight.  Working  with  their  spades  and  pickaxes  the  whole  of 
the  rest  of  the  night  and  the  next  forenoon  in  the  intense  heat  of  a 
June  sun,  without  sleep  and  many  of  them  suffering  for  the  want 
of  food  and  drink,  they  threw  vip  the  redoubt,  which  their  heroism 
soon  made  forever  .memorable.  To  inspire  his  men  with  courage 
and  confidence  while  busy  with  their  intrenching  tools,  the  gallant 
Prescott,  on  the  forenoon  of  the  lyth,  mounted  the  parapet  of  the 
redoubt,  and  continued  to  walk  leisurely  around  on  the  top  of  it  in 
full  view  of  the  British  ships  and  troops,  inspecting  the  works, 
giving  directions  to  his  officers  and  men,  encouraging  them  by  his 
example  and  approval,  or  amusing  them  by  his  humor.  Gen. 
Gage,  seeing  through  his  spy  glass,  the  tall,  commanding  form  of 
Prescott,  asked  of  Willard,  one  of  the  Council,  "who  he  was?'' 
Willard  replied,  "He  is  my  brother-in-law."  "Will  he  fight?" 
again  asked  Gage.  "Yes,  Sir;"  said  Willard,  "he  is  an  old 
soldier,  and  will  fight  to  the  last  drop  of  blood  in  him." 


1 775-]  HOLLIS    MEN    AT    BUNKER    HILL.  1 53 

The  men,  hungry  and  weary,  having  worked  through  the  night 
and  till  noon  of  the  next  day,  without  sleep,  and  many  of  them  with- 
out food  or  drink,  some  of  their  officers,  in  view  of  the  impending 
conflict,  urged  Col.  Prescott  to  send  a  request  to  Geni  Ward,  com- 
manding at  Cambridge,  that  the  men  who  had  built  the  fort  might 
be  relieved  and  fresh  troops  might  be  sent  over  for  its  defence.  Col. 
Prescott  fully  understood  the  spirit  and  temper  of  his  men — many 
of  them  were  his  neighbors,  and  he  promptly  said  to  the  officers 
making  that  request,  that  he  would  not  consent  to  their  relief. 
"The  men,"  said  he,  "who  have  raised  these  works  will  best 
defend  them  ;  they  have  had  the  merit  of  the  labor  and  should  have 
the  honor  of  victory,  if  attacked." 

Very  many  histories  of  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill  have  already 
been  written.  It  is  not  my  purpose  to  add  another,  but  simply  to 
tell,  in  few  words,  the  share  the  town  of  Hollis  and  Hollis  soldiers 
had  in  it. 

HOLLIS,  AND  OTHER  NEW  HAMPSHIRE  SOLDIERS  IN  COL.   PRESCOTT's 

REGIMENT. 

Besides  the  company  of  Capt.  Dow,  and  the  four  Hollis  soldiers 
in  the  company  of  Capt.  Moor,  it  is  shown  by  the  original  return 
rolls  of  Col.  Prescott's  regiment,  now  at  Boston,  that  there  were 
fifty  or  more  other  New  Hampshire  soldiers  in  the  same  regiment, 
mostly  from  towns  in  the  vicinity  of  Hollis.  Of  these,  eleven  were 
from  Merrimack,  eleven  from  Londonderry,  seven  from  Raby  (now 
Brookline),  others  from  Amherst,  Mason,  New  Ipswich,  and  other 
towns,  making  in  all  between  one  hundred  and  ten  and  one  hundred 
and  twenty  New  Hampshire  men  in  that  regiment.  Yet,  so  far  as 
I  am  aware,  no  New  Hampshire  history  of  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill 
makes  any  reference  to  the  New  Hampshire  soldiers  in  the  regiment 
of  Col.  Prescott.  It  is  said  in  "  Frothingham's  Siege  of  Boston,' 
page  401,  that  not  more  than  three  hundred  of  Col.  Prescott's 
regiment  marched  with  him  to  Charlestown  on  the  night  of  the  i6th 
of  June.  If  such  was  the  fact,  it  is  not  improbable  that  one-fourth 
of  the  three  hundred  were  New  Hampshire  soldiers,  and  at  least 
one-sixth  of  them  from  Hollis. 

CASUALTIES. 

James  Fisk  and  Jeremiah  Shattuck,  two  of  Capt.  Dow's  company, 
died  of  sickness,  at  Cambridge,  on  the  29th  of  May.  Caleb 
Eastman  was  killed  at  Cambridge,  two  days  after  the  battle,  by  the 


r  fJ4  CASUALTIES    IN    THE    BATTLE.  [T775' 

accidental  bursting  of  his  gun.  Nathan  Blood,  the  ist  Sergeant, 
Jacob  Boynton,  Isaac  Hobart,  Phineas  Nevins,  Peter  Poor  and 
Thomas  Wheat,  of  Capt.  Dow's  company,  and  also  Thomas 
Colburn  and  Ebenezer  Youngman,  two  of  the  Hollis  soldiers  in 
Capt.  Moor's  company,  were  killed  in  the  battle,  making  eight  in 
/all  lost  on  the  field,  and  a  total  loss  of  eleven.  There  were  also  six 
of  the  Hollis  company  wounded  in  the  battle,  viz.,  Reuben  Dow, 
the  Captain,  Ephraim  Blood,  Francis  Blood,  Francis  Powers, 
Thomas  Pratt  and  William  Wood ;  Dow  and  Wood,  so  severely 
that  they  were  afterwards  pensioners  for  life.  The  number  of  killed 
in  Col.  Prescott's  regiment,  (according  to  Frothingham,  page  193,) 
was  forty-two  ;  wounded,  twenty-eight.  Of  the  killed  in  that  regi- 
ment, the  loss  of  Hollis  was  nearly  one-fifth,  and  more  than  that 
proportion  of  the  wounded. 

From  a  letter  written  by  Col.  Stark,  to  Matthew  Thornton,  two 
days  after  the  battle,  it  appears  that  the  loss  of  his  own  regiment  in 
killed  and  missing  was  fifteen,  that  of  the  regiment  of  Col.  Reed, 
but  four,  making  nineteen  in  all.*  From  the  above  statements,  it 
appears  that  the  loss  of  Hollis,  in  killed,  was  fully  equal  to  two- 
fifths  of  the  killed  and  missing  in  the  two  New  Hampshire  regi- 
ments, and  greater,  as  is  believed,  than»that  of  any  other  town  in 
New  Hampshire  or  Massachusetts.  It  is  shown  by  the  return  rolls 
at  Boston,  that  the  town  of  Pepperell  lost  six  in  killed,  which  is 
believed  to  be  the  next  largest  loss  of  a  single  town.  Of  the  Hollis 
men,  above  named,  who  had  died  of  disease  or  been  killed,  Fisk, 
Shattuck,  Blood  and  Wheat  were  married  and  heads  of  families. 
Boynton,  Eastman,  Hobart,  Youngman,  Nevins  and  Poor,  were 
young,  unmarried  men.  the  oldest  supposed  to  be  22,  and  the 
youngest  but  17. 

LOSS    OF    EQUIPMENTS,     ETC.,    IN    THE    BATTLE. 

It  is  shown  by  the  rolls  of  Capt.  Dow's  company,  that  his  men 
furnished  all  their  o\vn  equipments,  and  also  their  clothes,  as  did 
the  soldiers  generally,  the  first  year  of  the  war.  The  following 
statement,  to  which  are  appended  the  names  of  twenty-eight  mem- 
bers of  the  company,  present  at  the  battle,  not  including  the 
commissioned  officers,  or  the  killed,  exhibits  the  articles  lost  by  each 
of  them,  with  their  estimated  value. 

»New   Hampshire  Hist.  Coll.,  Vol.  a,  p.  145. 


1 775-]  LOSS    OF    EQUIPMENTS.  155 

"CAMBRIDGE,   Dec.    22,    1 775-" 

''This  may  certify  that  we  the  subscribers  in  Capt.  Reuben 
Dow's  company,  in  Col.  William  Prescott's  regiment,  in  the  Conti- 
nental army,  that  we  lost  the  following  articles,  in  the  late  engage- 
ment on  Bunker  Hill  on  the  i7th  of  June  last." 

William  Adams  i  knapsack,  is.,  value  £o    is-    d. 

David  Ames,  i  knapsack  is.  qd.  i  tumpline  is.  zd.,  2      6 

Ephraim  Blood,  i  knapsack  is.  8d.  i  tumpline  is.  $d.  i  gun  £a,  148.,  "      2     17 

Francis  Blood,  i  knapsack  is.  4d.  i  tumpline  is.  2d.,  "26 

Klias  Boynton,  i  gun  £2,  2s.,  "22 

Abel  Brown,  i  tumpline  is.  2.,  i  gun  i8s.,  i  cartridge  box  48..  "       2      $      2 

Wilder  Chamberlain,  i  knapsack  is  4d.,  "              i       4 

Abel  Conant,  i  knapsack  is.  Sd.,  i  tumpline  is.  4d.,  "              .? 

Benjamin  Cumings,  i  knapsack  is.  8d.,  i  tumpline  is.  4d.,  3 

Minot  Farmer,  i  knapsack  is.  4d.,  i  tumpline  is  4d.,  i  sword  IDS.,  "     12      8 

David  Farnsworth,  i  knapsack  is.  Sd.,  i  tumpline  is.  zd.,  3     10 

Josiah  Fisk,  i  knapsack  is.  Sd.,  i  tumpline  is.  zd.,  i  cartridge  box  45.  8d.                            7      8 

Samuel  Hill,  i  knapsack  is.  4d.,  i  tumpline  is.  Sd.,  .5 

Samuel  Jewett,  i  knapsack  is.  Sd.,  i  tumpline  is.  a  d.,  2     10 

Israel  Kinney,  i  knapsack  is.  4d.,  i  tumpline  is.  ad.,  2      6 
James  McConnor,  i  knapsack,  is.  4d.,  i  tumpline,  is.  2d.  i  gun  £a,  as.  i  hat  ias  "      2     16      6 

James  Mclntosh,  i  knapsack  i  s.  8d.,  i  tumpline  is.  4d.,  i  jacket  8s,  13 

William  Nevins,  i  knapsack  is.  Sd.,  i  tumpline  is.  4d.,  i  jacket  £i,  45.,  "       i       7 

Nathaniel  Patten,  i  knapsack  is  4d.,  i  tumpline  is  zd.,  i  jacket  i6s.,  18      6 

Nehemiah  Pierce,  i  knapsack  is.  8d.,  i  tumpline  is.  4d.,  i  hat  i8s.,  "       i       i 

Francis  Powers,  i  gun  £2,  145.,  i  bayonet  6s.,  "      3 

Nahum  Powers,  i  knaps'k  is.  4d.,  i  tump'e  is,  zd.,  hat  35.,  jacket  8s.,  bayonet  6s  "  19      6 

Thomas  Pratt,  i  knapsack  is.  4d.,  i  tumpline  is.  ad.,  i  gun  £i,  ids.,  "       i     18      6 

Isaac  Stearns,  i  knapsack  is.  4d.,  i  gun  £2,  143.,  "      a     15      4 

Lebbeus  Wheeler,  i  knapsack  is.  8d.,  i  tumpline  is.  2d.,  i  hat  6s.,  .                               8    10 

Noah  Worcester,  Jun.,  i  knapsack  is.  Sd.,  i  tumpline  is.  2d.,  2     10 

William  Wood,  i  knapsack  is.  Sd.,  i  tumpline  is.  ad.,  i  gun  £z,  8s..  "      2     10     10 

Uriah  Wright,  i  knapsack  is.  Sd.,  i  tumpline  is.  3d.,     '  211 

It  appears  from  the  above  certificate,  that  twenty-five  of  these 
men  lost  their  knapsacks,  twenty-three  their  tumplines,*  eight  their 
guns,  three  their  cartridge  boxes,  two  their  bayonets,  and  one  his 
sword;  five  of  them  their  short  coats  or  "Jackets,"  and  three 
their  hats. 

How  many  of  Capt.  Dow's  company,  besides  the  killed  and  com- 
missioned officers,  were  present  in  the  battle  and  lost  no  part  of 
their  equipments,  cannot  now  be  known — doubtless  some,  and  it 
may  be  most  of  them. 

The  following  copy  of  an  original  certificate  in  the  hand  writing 
of  Capt.  Dow,  and  preserved  by  him,  with  other  papers  relating  to 
his  company,  shows  the  loss  of  equipments  of  the  six  men  belonging 
to  it,  killed  in  the  battle. 


•A  Tump-line  was  a  strap  to  be  placed  across  the  forehead,  to  assist  a  man  in  carrying  a  pack 
«o  his  baek. — WORCESTER'S  QUARTO  DICTIONARY. 


156  LOSS    OF    EQUIPMENTS.  [J775' 

CAMBRIDGE,  Dec.  22,  1775." 

"  Nathan  Blood,  Isaac  Hobart,  Jacob  Boynton, 

Thomas  Wheat,  Peter  Poor,  Phineas  Nevins." 

"The  men  whose  names  are  above  written  belonged  to  Capt. 
Dow's  company,  and  Col.  William  Prescott's  regiment  and  were  all 
killed  in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  on  the  lyth  of  June  last,  and 
were  furnished  each  of  them  with  a  good  gun,  judged  to  be  worth 
Eight  Dollars  apiece — also  were  furnished  with  other  materials,  viz. 
Cartridge  Boxes,  Knapsacks  and  Tump-lines — and  were  well 
clothed  for  soldiers — Also  had  each  of  them  a  good  blanket. 
Nathan  Blood  had  a  good  Hanger." 

It  appears  that  the  eight  Hollis  men  in  Capt.  Spalding's  company, 
in  the  New  Hampshire  regiment  of  Col.  Reed,  were  all  present  in 
the  battle,  and  that  each  of  them  lost  portions  of  his  clothing  or 
equipments,  as  is  shown  from  the  returns  of  losses  made  after  the 
battle,  now  to  be  found  in  the  "New  Hampshire  Provincial  Pa- 
pers," Volume  6,  page  592."  These  losses  with  their  appraised 
value  were  as  follows  : 

Andrew  Bailey,  i  coat,  i  shirt,  trousers,  stockings,  value,   £2,     6s.    Sd. 

Job  Bailey,  i  cartridge  box,  knapsack,  and  shiit,  "  15 

Phineas  Hardy,  i  blanket,  coat,  shirt,  breeches,  "          i       12 

Thomas  Hardy,  i  blanket,  coat,  jacket,  stockings, 
Ephraim  How,  i  gun,  breeches  and  shirt, 
Samuel  Leeman,  2  coats  and  i  blanket, 
Ephraim  Rolfe,  i  gun,  blanket,  shirt,  stockings, 
Ephraim  Smith,  i  knapsack,  shirt,  stockings, 

At  this  late  day  it  is  difficult  to  ascertain  all  the  reasons  that  may 
have  induced  the  company  of  Capt.  Dow  to  join  the  Massachusetts 
regiment  of  Col.  Prescott.  But  the  following  well  established  facts 
undoubtedly  had  much  influence.  Col.  Prescott  at  the  time  lived 
upon  his  farm  on  the  north  side  of  Pepperell,  adjoining  Hollis, 
(still  the  country  seat  of  his  descendants)  a  large  part  of  the  farm 
then  being  in  Hollis.  Capt.  Dow  and  Lieut.  Goss  lived  in  the 
south  part  of  Hollis,  and  were  the  neighbors  and  friends  of  Col. 
Prescott.  A  very  large  part  of  the  early  settlers  of  Hollis  were 
from  Billerica,  Chelmsford,  Groton  and  Pepperell  and  other  towns 
in  Middlesex  county  in  which  most  of  the  companies  in  Col. 
Prescott's  regiment  were  enlisted.  It  may  be  added  to  these  i-easons, 
that  Col.  John  Hale,  one  of  the  leading  friends  of  the  Revolution, 
in  Hollis,  was  a  brother-in-law  of  Col.  Prescott,  he  having  married 
Abigail  Hale,  a  sister  of  Col.  Hale. 


13  4 
9  4 
11  4 


r775']  THE    NEW    HAMPSHIRE    REINFORCEMENTS.  157 

THE    NEW    HAMPSHIRE    REINFORCEMENTS    IN    DECEMBER,   1 775'  *" 

The  time  of  service  of  the  men  enlisted  for  eight  months  expired 
in  December.  On  the  3Oth  of  November  an  express  was  sent  by 
Gen.  Sullivan,  then  in  command  of  the  Continental  troops  at  Win- 
ter Hill,  near  Boston,  to  the  New  Hampshire  Committee  of  Safety, 
informing  them  that  the  Connecticut  regiments  had  refused  to 
remain  longer  in  the  service,  and  urging  for  reinforcements  from 
New  Hampshire  to  supply  their  places. 

LETTER    OF    GEN.    SULLIVAN  TO    THE    NEW   HAMPSHIRE    COMMITTEE 

OF    SAFETY. 

"WINTER.  HILL,  Nov.  30,  1775. 

"•  Sirs :  Gen.  Washington  has  sent  to  New  Hampshire  for  thirty- 
one  companies  to  take  possession  of  and  defend  our  lines  in  room 
of  the  Connecticut  forces  who  most  scandalously  refuse  to  tarry  till 
the  ist  of  January.  I  must  therefore  intreat  your  utmost  exertions 
to  forward  the  raising  those  companies,  lest  the  enemy  should  take 
advantage  of  their  absence  and  force  our  lines.  As  the  Connecticut 
forces  will  at  all  events  leave  us  at  or  before  the  loth  of  next  month, 
pray  call  upon  every  true  friend  of  his  country  to  assist  with  heart 
and  hand  in  sending  forward  these  companies  as  soon  as  possible. 
Sirs,  I  am  in  extreme  haste  your  Obt.  Serv't, 

"JOHN  SULLIVAN." 

•'  To  the  Committee  of  Safety  at  Exeter."* 

In  answer  to  this  call,  New  Hampshire,  with  patriotic  and  char- 
acteristic promptness,  sent  to  Cambridge  31  companies  of  63  each, 
of  the  New  Hampshire  "Minute  Men,"  numbering  in  all  2000,  or 
more.  These  troops  continued  in  the  service,  till  the  middle  of 
March,  1776,  when  the  British  army  evacuated  Boston. 

Two-thirds  or  more  of  the  26th  company  of  this  force  volun- 
teered from  Hollis.  Of  this  company  Noah  Worcester  was  Cap- 
tain, and  Robert  Seaver,  2d  Lieutenant,  both  of  Hollis,  and  Oba- 
diah  Parker  of  Mason,  ist  Lieutenant. 

No  roll  of  this  company  containing  the  names  of  all  the  men  in 
it  is  known  now  to  exist.  But  there  are  now  among  the  Hollis 
Revolutionary  papers  two  documents  presenting  the  names  of  most 
of  the  Hollis  men  who  were  in  the  service  in  the  several  years  of  the 
war,  with  the  amount  of  the  wages  and  bounties  paid  to  each  of 

*N.  H.  Prov.  Papers,  Vol.  7,  p.  677. 


i58 


CAPT.    WORCESTER  S    COMPANY. 


['775- 


them  by  the  town.  One  of  these  documents  entitled  the  "  Great 
Return  "  was  made  out  by  the  selectmen  of  the  town  about  eight 
years  after  the  war  was  ended,  in  obedience  to  a  resolution  of  the 
New  Hampshire  General  Court.  The  other  was  prepared  by  Capt* 
John  Goss,  who  was  chosen  by  the  town  in  the  year  1777,  as  a 
member  of  a  committee  appointed  for  that  purpose,  and  who  was 
Captain  of  the  Hollis  company  at  the  battle  of  Bennington.  These 
documents  together  contain  the  names  of  forty-four  Hollis  soldiers. 
The  name  of  the  2nd  Lieutenant,  Robert  Seaver,  is  not  found  on 
either  of  them,  though  he  was  one  of  the  company  that  marched 
from  Hollis  to  Lexington  and  Cambridge  on  the  191!!  of  April,  and 
also  his  name  at  the  time  and  for  many  yeai's  after  was  on  the  Holli.s 
tax  lists  as  a  resident  tax  payer. 

It  appears  from  the  "  Great  Return  "  that  thirty-seven  men  of  this- 
company  were  paid  by  the  town  £3  each,  and  two  others  £2,  5s. 
each.  The  names  of  five  others  of  the  company,  with  the  wages 
supposed  to  have  been  paid  them,  are  found  in  the  "Return"  of 
Capt.  Goss,  but  not  in  the  other  document.  The  names  of  these 
soldiers,  forty-five  in  all,  are  here  presented  : 


Noah  Worcester,  Capt. 
Robert  Seaver,  2d  Lieut. 
Saniuel  Ambrose, 
Eleazer  Ball, 
Daniel  Bailey,     x 
Joshua  Blanchard, 
Daniel  Blood, 
Joel  Boynton, 
Kliphalet  Brown, 
James  Colburn, 
Robert  Colbu^n, 
Josiah  Conant, 
John  Conroy, 
Benjamin  Farley, 
Joseph  Farley, 


Stephen  Farley, 
Isaac  French,    . 
Ebenezer  Gilson, 
Nehemiah  Hardy, 
Jonathan  Hobart, 
Joshua  Hobart, 
Parmeter  Honey, 
Joseph  How, 
Ebenezer  Jaquith, 
Thomas  Jaquith, 
Jacob  Jewett,  Jun., 
Stephen  Jewett, 
Oliver  Lawrence, 
Asa  Lovejoy, 
Jonathan  Lovejoy, 


Ephraim  Lund, 
Elijah  Noyes, 
Daniel  Patch, 
Nathan  Phelps, 
Solomon,  Pierce, 
Wm.  W.  Pool, 
John  Read, 
Jonathan  Russ, 
William  Shattuck, 
Zachariah  Shattuck. 
Jacob  Taylor, 
Jonathan  Taylor, 
William  Tenney, 
Nathaniel  Wheat, 
James  Wheeler. 


NUMBER    OF    HOLLIS    SOLDIERS    THE    FIRST    YEAR    OF    THE    WAR. 

Minute  men  who  went  to  Cambridge  in  April,  92 

Eight  months*  men  :  In  Capt.  Dow's  Company,  59  :  Capt. 

Moor's,  4 ;  Spalding's,  8  ;  Towns,  9  ;  in  all,  80 

In  Capt.  Worcester's  Company,  45 

Making  in  all,  217 

The  names  of  61  of  the  92  minute  men  who  went  to  Cambridge 
in  April  will  be  found  in  the  foregoing  lists  of  men  enlisted  for 
eight  months,^or  in  that  of  the  Hollis  men  in  Capt.  Worcester's 


T775']  WAGES    AND    BOUNTIES    OF    SOLDIERS    IN    1775-  159 

company.  Deducting  the  61  from  217,  there  will  remain  a  total  of" 
156  different  names  of  Hollis  soldiers  who  were  in  the  military  ser- 
vice of  the  country  during  a  part  of  the  first  year  of  the  war,  a 
number  very  nearly  equal  to  one  in  eight  of  the  whole  population. 

It  is  shown  by  the  "  Great  Return  "  made  by  the  selectmen  above 
referred  to,  that  the  town  paid  in  the  year  1775,  for  the  wages  or 
bounties  for  these  soldiers,  the  following  sums ; 

To  the  eight  months'  men  at  £12.  per  man,  (£i  los.  s.      d, 

per  month),  £792.  oo.  oo. 

To  the  men  in  Capt.  Worcester's  company,  115.  10.  oo. 

For  the  92  Minute  men  to  Cambridge  in  April.  9^.  07.  07. 

Making  an  aggegate  of  £1000.  17.  07, 

WAGES    OF    SOLDIERS    IN    1 775. 

In  the  common  histories  of  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  but  very 
little  information  is  to  be  gleaned  in  regard  to  the  wages  paid  to  the 
brave  men  by  whose  valor  and  privations  our  national  independence 
was  won.  Several  of  the  original  Hollis  documents,  still  existing, 
throw  much  light  upon  this  subject  in  respect  to  the  pay  of  the 
soldiers  who  went  from  the  town  in  1775'  an(^  m  the  other  years  of 
the  war.  The  pay  roll  of  the  first  company  of  ninety-two  minute 
men  has  already  been  adverted  to,  showing  the  daily  wages  paid  to 
both  the  officers  and  privates  of  that  company.  It  appears  from  a 
pay  roll  of  the  company  of  Capt.  Dow,  made  in  August,  1775,  after 
the  men  had  been  at  Cambridge  near  four  months,  that  the  monthly 
wages  of  the  private  soldiers  wei'e  £2,  or  $6.67,  or  about  24  cents  a 
day,  reckoning  twenty-eight  days  to  the  month.  In  addition  to  these 
wages  the  men  were  credited  wi*li  id.  a  mile  for  travel.  The 
wages  of  the  drummer,  fifer  and  corporals  appear  to  have  been  £2, 
55.  per  month — those  of  the  Sergeants  £2,  IDS.,  the  Second  Lieut., 
£3,  the  First  Lieut..  £4,  and  of  the  Captain,  £6,  or  about  $20.00 
per  month. 

THK     MILITARY     COAT     VOTED     AS    A      BOUNTY     TO     EIGHT     MONTHS' 

MEN. 

From  the  following  copy  of  an  original  certificate  and  receipt 
now  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  State,  at  Boston,  it  is  shown 
that  the  soldiers  in  Capt.  Dow's  company  received  a  military  coat, 
voted  by  the  Massachusetts  Congress  in  the  spring  of  1775,35  a 
bounty  to  men  enlisted  for  eight  months. 


l6o  WAGES   AND    BOUNTIES    OF   SOLDIERS   IN    1775-  [J775- 

"  CAMBRIDGE,  Nov.  20,  1775. 
"To  the  Honorable   Committee  of  Supplies: 

"This  may  certify  that  we  who  have  hereunto  subscribed  our 
names  do  declare  that  we  being  under  officers  and  soldiers  enlisted 
under  Captain  Reuben  Dow  of  Holies,  in  Col.  William  Prescott's 
regiment,  have  received  each  of  us  a  coat  according  to  a  vote  of 
the  late  Congress  held  at  Watertown,  and  provided  by  the  com- 
mittee of  supplies,  we  say  received  of  Lieutenant  John  Gossof  said 
company." 

The  above  certificate  was  signed  by  forty-seven  members  of  the 
company,  being  all  the  non-commissioned  officers  and  privates, 
except  the  nine  of  them  who  had  been  previously  killed  or  died  of 
sickness.  There  was  endorsed  upon  this  ceitificate  the  receipt  of 
Lieut.  Goss,  as  follows  : 

"  Rec'd  of  the  committee  on  cloathing  forty-seven  coats  for  the 
within  mentioned  soldiers  as  per  Receipt  on  back,  of  this  date. 
"Nov.  20,  1775"  "JOHN  Goss,  Lieut." 

It  also  appears  from  the  three  following  certificates  and  vouchers 
to  be  found  in  the  same  depository  at  Boston,  that  the  heirs  or 
widows  of  the  nine  deceased  men  received  pay  for  these  military 
bounty  coats. 

ist  Voucher.  "  To  the  Honorable  the  Committee  of  Supplies  of 
Massachusetts  Bay.  Be  pleased  to  pay  or  deliver  to  Capt.  Reuben 
Dow  the  money  due  to  the  following  men  for  their  military  coats, 
viz.,  Sergt.  Nathan  Blood,  Thomas  Wheat,  Isaac  Hobart,  Jacob 
Boynton,  Phineas  Nevins,  James  Fisk  and  Caleb  Eastman,  in  Capt. 
Reuben  Dow's  company,  in  Col.  William  Prescott's^regiment, 
deceased,  and  this  shall  be  yotir  Receipt  for  the  same,  per  us" 

"WILLIAM  NEVINS  ENOCH  NOYES 

JOHN  BOYNTON  ABIGAIL  WHEAT 

AMOS  EASTMAN  her 

SHUBAEL  HOBAUT  SARAH    X    FISK." 

mark 

William  Nevins,  John  Boynton,  Amos  Eastman  and  Shuba'el 
Hobart  were  respectively  the  fathers  of  Phineas^Nevins,  Jacob 
Boynton,  Caleb  Eastman  and  Isaac  Hobart ;  Abigail  Wheat  and 
Sarah  Fisk,  the  widows  of  Thomas  Wheat  and  James  Fisk,  and 
Enoch  Noyes  was  the  father-in-law  of  Sergt.  Nathan  Blood. 

2d  Voucher.  "  We  hereby  certify  that  the  widow  Experience 
Shattuck  is  the  proper  person  to  receive  the  clothing  belonging  to 


1 775.]  WAGES    AND    BOUNTIES    OF    SOLDIERS    IN    1 775-  l6l 

Jeremiah  Shattuck  who  belonged  to  Capt.  Reuben  Dow's  Company 
in  Col.  Wm.  Prescott's  regiment  and  is  dead. 

.    "  NOAH  WORCESTER,      A 

JACOB  JEWETT,  I  Selectmen." 

OLIVER  LAWRENCE,     J 

"  Holies,  ye  i6th  of  March,  1776. 

"To  the  Honorable  Commitee  of  Supplies  of  Massachusetts 
Bay.  Gentlemen,  Be  pleased  to  pay  to  Capt.  Reuben  Dow,  the 
money  due  to  Jeremiah  Shattuck,  deceased,  who  belonged  to  Capt. 
Reuben  Dow's  Company  in  Col.  Wm.  Prescott's  regiment,  and  this 
order  shall  be  your  discharge  for  the  same,  per  me. 

her 

EXPERIENCE    X    SHATTUCK." 
mark. 

Holies,  March  14,  1776. 

3d  Voucher.  "We  hereby  certify  that  Capt.  Reuben  Dow  is 
the  only  proper  pei'son  to  receive  the  clothing  that  is  due  to  Peter 
Poor,  a  transient  person  who  enlisted  in  his  Company,  and  last  re- 
sided in  this  Town  and  went  away  in  debt.  Said  Poor  was  killed 
in  Bunker  Hill  fight. 

"  NOAH  WORCESTER,  OLIVER  LAWRENCE,     "» 
STEPHEN  AMES,  JACOB  JEWETT,  I    S 

DANIEL  KENDRICK.  J 

"  Holies,  Feb.  10,  1776. 

STORY  OF  A  HOLLIS  WOMAN. CAPTURE  AND  SURRENDER  OF  A 

HOLLIS  TORY. 

Among  the  citizens  of  Hollis  in  i775?  were  four  known  as  tories, 
whose  sympathies  were  strongly  with  the  royal  government. 
These  four  were  Benjamin  Whiting,  the  first  sheriff  of  Hillsborough 
county ;  his  brother,  Capt.  Leonard  Whiting ;  and  Samuel  and 
Thomas  Cumings,  two  of  the  sons  of  Samuel  Cumings,  Sen.,  the 
first  town-clerk  of  Hollis.  We  copy  the  following  notices  of  the 
two  Whitings  from  Sabine's  "  Loyalists  of  the  American  Revolu- 
tion," Vol.  2,  p.  422. 

"  Whiting,  Benjamin,  Sheriff  of  Hillsborough  County,  N.  H. 
He  was  proscribed  and  banished  and  his  property  confiscated." 

"  Whiting,  Leonard,  of  Hollis,  N.  H.  .A  noted  Tory.  In  1775, 
Whiting  was  the  bearer  of  despatches  from  Canada  to  the  British 
in  Boston,  and  was  arrested  in  Groton,  Mass.,  under  the  following 
circumstances.  After  the  departure  of  Col.  Prescott's  Regiment  of 
1  Minute  Men,'  Mrs.  David  Wright,  of  Pepperell,  Mrs.  Job  Shattuck, 


1 62  CAPTUKK    OF    A    HOJ.LIS    TORY.  [^75' 

of  Groton,  and  the  neighboring  women,  collected  at  what  is  now 
Jewett's  bridge,  over  the  Nashua  river,  between  Pepperell  and 
Groton,  clothed  in  their  absent  husbands'  apparel,  and  armed  with 
muskets,  pitchforks,  and  such  other  weapons  as  they  could  find,  and 
having  elected  Mrs.  Wright  their  commander,  resolutely  determined 
that  no  foe  to  freedom,  foreign  or  domestic,  should  pass  that  bridge. 
Rumors  were  then  rife  that  the  Regulars  were  approaching,  and 
frightful  stories  of  slaughter  flew  rapidly  from  place  to  place  and 
from  house  to  house.  Soon  there  appeared  Mr.  Leonard  Whiting 
(the  subject  of  this  notice),  on  horseback,  supposed  to  be  treasona- 
bly engaged  in  carrying  intelligence  to  the  enemy.  Whiting,  by 
direction  of  Mrs.  Wright  in  her  assumed  character  of  Sergeant  of 
the  Bridge  Guard,  was  seized,  taken  from  his  horse,  searched,  and 
detained  a  prisoner.  Despatches  were  found  in  his  boots,  which 
were  sent  to  the  Committee  of  Safety,  and  Whiting  himself  was 
committed  to  the  custody  of  the  Committee  of  Observation  of 
Groton." 

The  maiden  name  of  Mrs.  David  Wright  was  Prudence  Cum- 
ings,  a  sister  of  Samuel  and  Thomas  Cumings,  two  of  the  Hollis 
tories  before  mentioned,  and  also  of  Benjamin  Cumings,  a  younger 
brother,  who  was  in  the  company  of  Capt.  Dow  at  Bunker  Hill, 
and  was  afterwards  a  soldier  in  the  Continental  army.  It  appears 
from  the  Hollis  Records  of  Births  and  Marriages,  that  Prudence 
Cumings  was  born  at  the  parish  of  West  Dunstable,  now  Hollis, 
Nov.  26,  1740,  and  that  she  was  married  to  David  Wright,  of  Pep- 
perell, Dec.  28,  1761. 


WAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

1776. HOLUS    SOLDIERS    THE    SECOND    YEAR    OF    THE    WAR. THK 

HOLLIS    LOYALISTS    OR    TORIES. 

COMMITTEE    OF    SAFETY. 

At  the  annual  March  election  of  1776  "  Capt.  Reuben  Dow, 
Capt.  Noah  Worcester,  Ensign  Stephen  Ames,  Capt.  Daniel  Ken- 
drick,  Jacob  Jewett,  Oliver  Lawrence,  and  Samuel  Chamberlain," 
were  chosen  a  Committee  of  Safety ;  Noah  Worcester,  Stephen 
Ames,  Daniel  Kendrick,  Jacob  Jewett,  and  Oliver  Lawrence.  Select- 
men ;  and  on  the  26th  of  November,  at  a  special  election,  Stephen 
Ames  was  chosen  Representative  to  the  General  Court  for  one  year. 

HOLLIS    SOLDIERS    THE    SECOND    YEAR    OF    THE    WAR. 

In  the  year  1776  the  seat  of  the  war  was  removed  from  the  vicin- 
ity of  Boston  to  Canada,  and  the  States  of  New  York  and  New 
Jersey.  But  a  few  of  the  company  or  regimental  rolls  of  the  troops 
furnished  from  New  Hampshire  the  second  year  of  the  war  are  now 
known  to  exist,  or  if  in  existence,  some  of  the  most  interesting  and 
important  of  them,  supposed  to  be  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of 
State  at  Washington,  under  the  inhospitable  rales  of  that  office,  are 
not  accessible  to  the  historical  enquirer.  I  have  examined  the  very 
few  of  them  at  Concord,  but  in  these  researches  I  have  been 
obliged  to  rely  mainly  upon  the  town  records  and  documents  for 
the  names,  numbers,  time  of  service  and  wages  of  the  Hollis  sol- 
diers for  this  year. 

It  appears  from  these  documents  that  four  Hollis  soldiers,  viz., 
David  Ames,  Minot  Farmer,  David  Patch  and  Eli  Stiles,  enlisted 
in  the  detachment  of  ti'oops,  under  Gen.  Arnold,  who  with  so 
much  privation  and  suffering,  made  their  way,  in  the  depth  of 
winter,  through  the  forests  of  Maine  in  1775-6,  by  the  way  of  Ken- 
nebec  river,  to  Canada  and  Quebec.  Minot  Farmer,  who  had  been 


164  HOLLIS    MEN    IN    THE    CONTINENTAL    ARMY.  [I776. 

a  Sergeant  in  Capt.  Dow's  company  at  Bunker  Hill,  was  taken 
prisoner  at  the  assault  on  Quebec,  and  died  in  captivity  in  the  month 
of  May  of  this  year. 

In  1776,  and  afterwards  till  near  the  end  of  the  war,  New  Hamp- 
shire furnished  three  regiments  or  battalions  of  regular  troops, 
known  as  the  ist,  zd  and  3d  New  Hampshire  Continental  regi- 
ments, commanded  severally  by  Colonels  Cilley,  Hale  and  Scam- 
mel.  Dr.  John  Hale  and  his  son-in-law,  Dr.  Jonathan  Pool,  both 
of  Hollis,  were  respectively  Surgeon  and  Assistant  Surgeon  of  the 
ist  New  Hampshire  regiment,  from  1776  to  1780.  Dr.  Hale  had. 
previously  been  Colonel  of  the  New  Hampshire  regiment  of  militia,' 
to  which  Hollis  was  attached,  which  office  he  resigned  in  the  month 
of  June  of  the  former  year. 

The  private  soldiers  in  these  Continental  regiments  were  at  first 
enlisted  for  a  single  year.  Besides  the  Surgeon  and  Assistant  Sur- 
geon for  the  ist  regiment,  Hollis  furnished  for  those  regiments 
twenty-one  men,  a  part  of  whom  are  said  to  have  enlisted  in  the 
sixth  company  of  the  ist  regiment,  commanded  by  Capt.  John 
House  of  Hanover,  and  a  part  in  the  first  company  of  the  3d  regi- 
jinent  under  Capt.  Isaac  Frye  of  Wilton.  Of  this  last  company 
Samuel  Leeman,  Jun.,  of  Hollis,  was  Ensign.  The  history  and 
doings  of  these  gallant  regiments  are  too  well  known  to  require  or 
permit  special  comment  here.  They  were  in  the  hard-fought  bat- 
tles of  this  year  near  New  York  city,  and  their  bravery  and  good 
conduct  were  conspicuous  in  the  victories  won  at  Trenton  and 
Princeton  in  New  Jersey.  The  wages  of  the  men  paid  by  the  town 
were  £24  for  the  year,  or  £2  each  per  month.  Their  names  were 

Elias  Boynton,  Thomas  Hardy,  Ezra  Proctor, 

Abel  Brown,  Israel  Kinney,  John  Read, 

Abel  Conant,  Sam'l  Leeman,  Jun.,  Stephen  Richardson, 

Benjamin  Cumings,  William  Nevins,  Ephraim  Rolfe, 

Stephen  Conroy,  Jonathan  Parker,  Ephraim  Smith, 

Jacob  Danforth,  Thomas  Pratt,  Jacob  Taylor, 

William  Elliot,  Ezekiel  Proctor,  Thomas  Youngman, 

William  Nevins  is  said  to  have  been  taken  captive  near  New 
York  city,  and  to  have  died  while  a  prisoner,  probably  in  a  British 
prison  ship.  Ezra  Proctor,  as  shown  by  the  Hollis  records,  was 
drowned  at  New  York  on  the  i5th  of  May  of  this  year. 

HOLLIS    MEN    IN    COL.    WINGATE's    REGIMENT. 

About  the  middle  of  July  of  this  year  a  regiment  of  New  Hamp- 
shire Volunteers  was  enlisted  to  re-enforce  the  army  then  in  Can- 
ada and  placed  under  the  command  of  Col.  Joshua  Wingate  of 


1776.]  HOLLIS    MEN    IN    OTHER    REGIMENTS.  165 

Dover.  In  the  third  company  of  this  regiment,  of  which  Daniel 
Emerson,  Jun.,  of  Hollis  was  Captain,  were  twenty-five  Hollis  sol- 
diers, supposed  to  have  been  in  service  about  six  months. 

The  wages  paid  them  by  the  town  were  £12  each.  Inconse- 
quence of  the  retreat  of  the  Continental  troops  from  Canada,  this 
regiment  went  no  farther  north  than  Ticonderoga.  The  names  of 
these  men  were, 

David  Ames,  Samuel  Hill,  Solomon  Pierce, 

John  Ball,  John  How,  Joseph  Stearns, 

Daniel  Blood,  Jun.,  Oliver  Lawrence,  Jun.,  Isaac  Stevens,  Jun., 

Josiah  Blood,  Elijah  Noyes,  Ebenezer  Townsend, 

Daniel  Emerson,  Jun.,  Capt.       Enoch  Noyes,  Jun.,  Jesse  Worcester, 

Thomas  Emerson,  Thomas  Patch,  Lemuel  Wright, 

Ralph  Emerson,  Nathaniel  Patten,  John  Youngman, 

Benjamin  Farley,  Jun.,  Samuel  Phelps,  Nicholas  Youngman. 
Josiah  Fisk, 

It  appears  from  an  inventory  of  the  equipments  and  clothing  of 
Josiah  Blood,  one  of  these  soldiers,  now  among  the  Hollis  Docu- 
ments, dated  at  Mt.  Independence,  September  16,  1776,  that  he 
died  in  the  army  about  that  time. 

MEN    IN    COL.    LONG'S    REGIMENT. 

Early  in  August  of  this  year,  a  small  regiment  of  seven  companies 
was  organized  by  order  of  the  New  Hampshire  Committee  of 
Safety,  afterwards  commanded  by  Col.  Pierce  Long,  and  stationed 
at  Newcastle,  near  Portsmouth.  About  the  last  of  November,  1776, 
this  regiment  was  ordered  to  the  State  of  New  York  for  the  defence 
of  Ticonderoga.  In  the  third  company  of  this  regiment,  of  which 
Timothy  Clements,  of  Hopkinton,  was  Captain,  were  twelve  Hollis 
soldiers,  supposed  to  have  served  about  a  year,  and  were  paid  by  the 
town  £12  each,  and  whose  names  were 

Ebenezer  Ball,  David  French,  Isaac  Shattuck, 

Laniard  Cumings,  Richard  Hopkins,  Enoch  Spaulding, 

Caleb  Farley,  Abner  Keyes,  Thomas  Wheat, 

Christopher  Farley,  Stephen  Powers,  Samuel  Worcester. 

Isaac  Shattuck,  one  of  these  soldiers,  a  son  of  Zachariah 
Shattuck,  and  a  young,  unmarried  man,  died  in  this  service. 

MEN  IN  COL.  BALDWIN'S  REGIMENT. 

In  the  month  of  September,  of  this  year,  a  regiment  of  New 
Hampshire  troops  was  raised,  commanded  by  Col.  Nahum  Baldwin, 
of  Amherst,  to  reinforce  the  Continental  army,  then  at  White 
Plains,  near  New  York  city.  In  the  second  company  of  this 


l6  HOI.LIS    SOLDIERS    IN    OTHER    REGIMENTS.  J77' 

regiment  of  which  William  Reed  was  Captain,  were  twenty-one 
Hollis  soldiers,  who,  with  one  exception,  were  paid  by  the  town 
£5  75.  each,  and  supposed  to  have  been  in  the  service  about  three 
months.  It  is  shown  by  a  roll  of  this  company,  now  at  Concord, 
that  the  men  on  enlisting  were  paid  a  bounty  of  £6  each,  and 
allowed  a  penny  a  mile  for  travel,  and  the  same  in  lieu  of  a  baggage 
wagon.  The  names  of  these  men  were 

Daniel  Bailey,  Jun.,  Stephen  Dow,  Asa  Lovejoy, 

Daniel  Blood,  Isaac  French,  Ephraim  Pierce, 

Timothy  Blood,  Stephen  Goodhue,  John  Platts, 

Benjamin  Boynton.  Noah  Jewett,  Benjamin  Sanderson, 

Joel  Boynton,  Stephen  Jewett,  Jun.,  Joshua  Smith, 

Edward  Carter,  Thomas  Kemp,  William  Tenney, 

Nathan  Colburn,  Jonas  Lesley,  Ebenezer  Wheeler. 

MEN  IN  COL.    OILMAN'S   REGIMENT. 

In  the  month  of  December  of  this  year,  another  New  Hampshire 
regiment  was  enlisted  to  reinforce  the  army  in  New  York,  com- 
manded by  Col.  David  Oilman.  In  the  second  company  of  this  reg- 
iment, of  which  William  Walker,  of  Dunstable,  (now  Nashua)  was 
Captain,  there  were  thirteen  Hollis  soldiers,  as  appears  by  the  rolls 
at  Concord  and  Hollis  documents,  eight  of  whom  \vere  paid  by  the 
town  £4  each,  and  are  supposed  to  have  been  in  the  service  for  two 
months.  The  names  of  these  men  are  presented  in  the  following 
list : 

Samuel  Chamberlain,  Jonathan  Hobart,  David  Sanderson, 

William  Cumings,  Samuel  Johnson,  William  Shattuck, 

Amos  Eastman,  Randall  McDaniels,  Benjamin  Wright, 

Ebenezer  Farley,  James  Rolfe,  Jesse  Wyman. 
John  Hale,  Jun., 

It  is  shown  by  the  company  roll  at  Concord,  that  the  men  were 
allowed  £3,  each,  being  advanced  pay  for  one  month  and  £2  2s. 
each  for  "  billeting"  or  expenses  to  New  York. 

It  is  also  shown  by  the  "  Great  Return"  above  referred  to  made 
by  the  selectmen,  that  in  1776  four  Hollis  soldiers  served  in  the 
garrison  at  Portsmouth,  for  about  three  months,  (as  is  supposed) , 
they  having  been  paid  by  the  town  £4  los.  each.  The  names  of 
these  men  were  John  Atwell,  Andrew  Bailey,  Phineas  Hardy,  and 
Phineas  Hardy,  Jun. 

OTHER     HOLLIS     SOLDIERS     IN     1776    IN    CAPT.     GOSS's     "RETURN." 

In  addition  to  the  soldiers  for  1776,  whose  names  appear  in  the 
foregoing  lists,  I  find  in  the  "  Return"  made  by  Captain  Goss,  the 


1776-]  THE    HOLLIS    TORIES.  167 

names  of  twenty-five  others  who  in  his  "Return"  are  credited 
with  wages  varying  from  £2  to  £12,  each,  for  services,  as  would 
appear  in  another  expedition  to  Ticonderoga  under  Capt.  Emerson. 
The  names  of  these  men.  with  the  amount  credited  to  each  of  them, 
appear  in  the  list  below. 

Nathaniel  Ball,  £6.  Thomas  Jaquith,  £3.  Daniel  Mooar,  £3. 

Elnathan  Blood,  3.  Nathaniel  Jewett,  6.  John  Phelps,  12. 

William  Brown,  4.  Jacob  Jewett,  6.  Kichard  Pierce,  6. 

Ephraim  Burge,  4.  James  Jewett,  4.  William  Pool,  4. 

Deacon  Goodhue,  4.  Stephen  Jewett,  4.  Edward  Taylor,  3. 

John  Goodhue,  4.  Edward  Johnson,  13.  Solomon  Wheat,  3. 

Lemuel  Hardy,  6.  Daniel  Lovejoy,  3.  Ensign  Willoughby,  6. 

John  Hobart,  3.  Daniel  Men-ill,  4.  Nehemiah  Woods,  4. 

Ebenezer  Jaquith,  2. 

From  the  foregoing  lists  it  appears  that  1 25  Hollis  men  were  in 
the  army  the  whole  or  a  part  of  the  year  177^1  a  number  nearly 
equal  to  one  in  ten  of  the  whole  population.  The  amount  paid  by 
the  town  in  177^'  us  wages  and  bounties,  according  to  the  Great 
Return,  was  £1018,  75. 

THE    HOLLIS    TOH1ES    OR    LOYALISTS. 

As  has  been,  in  another  connection,  already  stated,  there  were  in 
Hollis,  at  the  commencement  of  the  war,  four  of  its  citizens,  viz., 
Benjamin  and  Leonard  Whiting,  and  Samuel  and  Thomas  Cumings, 
who  were  understood  by  their  fellow  townsmen  to  be  loyalists  or 
tories  and  opposed  to  the  independence  of  the  colonies.  To  these 
four  should  probably,  be  added  Richard  Cutts  Shannon,  a  lawyer 
from  Portsmouth  who  had  settled  in  Hollis  just  before  the 
Revolution. 

About  the  first  of  March,  1776,  or  it  may  be  somewhat  earlier, 
the  four  men  first  named  were  summoned  for  trial,  upon  a  charge  of 
the  character  referred  to,  before  the  Committees  of  Safety  of  the  towns 
of  Hollis,  Dunstable,  Merrimack  and  Litchfield.  Upon  the  petition 
of  the  accused,  shortly  after  the  first  of  March,  the  case  was  trans- 
ferred for  hearing  to  the  New  Hampshire  General  Court  then  sitting 
at  Exeter.  Capt.  Reuben  Dow,  of  Hollis,  as  chairman  of  the 
Committees  of  Safety,  appeared  before  the  General  Court  and  filed 
his  complaint  in  their  behalf  with  the  evidence  charging. all  the 
accused  as  "persons  suspected  of  being  inimical  to  the  Rights  and 
Liberties  of  the  United  Colonies."  The  accused  appeared  at  the 
trial  by  their  counsel  and  made  their  defence,  and  at  the  final  hear- 
ing on  the  2Oth  of  June,  following,  it  was  decided  that  the  testimony 
was  not  sufficient  to  sustain  the  complaint  and  all  of  them  were 


l68  THE    HOLLIS    TORIES.  ['77^- 

discharged.*  But  events  very  soon  proved  that  the  suspicions  and 
charges  of  the  Committees  of  Safety  were  well  grounded. 

In  the  same  month  of  June,  as  shown  by  the  court  records, 
Thomas  Cumings  was  indicted  before  the  Superior  Court,  and  gave 
bail  for  his  appearance  to  the  following  September  term  of  the 
Court  to  answer  to  the  charge.  In  the  meanwhile  he  left  his  family, 
the  town  and  country,  failed  to  appear,  forfeited  his  bond  and  never 
returned.  Some  months  later,  Samuel  Cumings  and  Benjamin 
Whiting  left  the  town  and  State,  both  leaving  their  families,  and 
remained  "  absentees,"  and  all  the  three  died  in  exile.  The  names 
of  all  of  them,  with  those  of  seventy-three  other  New  Hampshire 
tories,  were  embraced  in  the  "Act  of  Banishment,"  passed  by  the 
New  Hampshire  General  Court,  in  November,  1778 — the  estates  of 
Samuel  Cumings  and  Benjamin  Whiting  were  confiscated,  all  of 
them  forbidden  to  return  under  the  penalty  of  transportation,  and  in 
case  of  a  second  return,  they  were  to  suffer  death.  It  is  to  be 
inferred  that  Thomas  Cumings  and  Whiting  both  died  within  a 
very  few  years  after  leaving  the  country,  Grace  Whiting,  the 
deserted  wife  of  Sheriff  Whiting,  (as  appears  from  the  Hollis 
records)  having  been  married  to  Burpee  Ames,  of  Hollis,  May  28, 
1782,  and  upon  her  decease,  which  occurred  shortly  after  this  mar- 
riage, Mr.  Ames  married  for  his  second  wife,  Hannah  Cumings, 
the  deserted  wife  of  Thomas  Cumings. 

Capt.  Leonard  Whiting  did  not  leave  the  country,  but  continued 
to  reside  in  Hollis  for  many  years  after  the  war.  But  for  a  large 
portion  of  the  years  1777  an(^  X77^  ne  was  imprisoned  in  the  jail  at 
Amherst,  with  several  other  accused  persons,  all  under  the  charge 
of  being  "inimical  to  the  Rights  and  Liberties  of  the  United 
Colonies"^  It  appears  also  that  Richard  Cutts  Shannon,  the  Hollis 
lawyer,  at  the  time,  for  a  part  of  the  year  1777  was  imprisoned  in 
the  jail  at  Amherst,  with  Whiting  and  others  under  the  like  charge.  J 
Yet  it  seems  that  the  offence  of  Mr.  Shannon,  whatever  it  may  have 
been,  was  afterwards  so  far  forgotten  or  forgiven  by  the  people  of 
Hollis,  that  in  the  year  1782  he  was  chosen  Representative  of  the 
town  to  the  General  Court. 

*Prov.  Papers,  Vol.  8,  pp.  82,  106,  156. 
fN.  H.  Prov.  Papers,  Vol.  8,  p.  636. 
JN.  H.  Prov.  Papers,  Vol.  8,  pp.  601,  636. 


J777']*  WAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  169 


CHAPTER    XV. 

1777. WAR    OF     THE     REVOLUTION     CONTINUED. COMMITTEE     OF 

SAFETY     FOR     1777- HOLLIS     SOLDIERS     THE    THIRD     YEAR    OF 

THE   WAR. PATRIOTIC     AGREEMENT     OF     FORTY-EIGHT    HOLLIS 

MINUTE       MEN. THE       TICONDEROGA      ALARM. COMPANY       TO 

BENNINGTON. DEPRECIATION  OF  CONTINENTAL    PAPER    MONEY. 

HOLLIS    COMMITTEE    OF    SAFETY    IN    1 777- 

From  the  Town  Records.  An.  T.  M.  March  3,  1777. — 
"Voted  and  chose  for  a  Committee  of  Safety,  this  year,  Capt.  Noah 
Worcester,  Ensign  Stephen  Ames,  Capt.  Daniel  Kendrick,  Oliver 
Lawrence  and  Jacob  Jewett,  and  also  voted  that  we  will  stand  by 
the  Committee  of  Safety  and  defend  them  and  do  all  we  can  to  assist 
them  in  the  cause  of  liberty.  Chose  Capt.  Daniel  Emerson  Powder 
keeper,  and  Capt.  Reuben  Dow,  Capt.  John  Goss,  Capt.  Daniel 
Emerson,  Capt.  William  Read  and  Dea.  John  Boynton'a  committee 
to  make  out  a  list  of  the  men  who  have  been  in  the  army,  in  defence 
of  American  liberty,  and  set  a  valuation  on  their  services." 

At  a  town  meeting  held  on  the  25th  of  the  following  November, 
this  committee,  in  respect  to  these  services,  made  the  following 
report  which  was  then  accepted  by  the  town,  including  in  the 
report  the  Hollis  soldiers  who  afterwards,  the  same  year,  went  to 
Bennington  and  Portsmouth. 

"1775.  To  Cambridge,  £  I,  ios.  per  month,  8  months,  £i3,     s. 

1776.  To  New  York  and  Canada  for  the  year,  24 

1776.  To  Ticonderoga,  each  time,  12 

1776.  To  New  York  with  Capt.  Reed,  5      7 

1776.  To  New  York  with  Capt.  Walker,  4 

1777.  To  Bennington  with  Capt.  Goss,  7 
1777.  To  Portsmouth  i  month,  i     10" 


1 7°  WAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  [I777- 

THE    TOWN'S    QUOTA    FOR    THE    CONTINENTAL    ARMY. 

Special  Town  Meeting  April  2,  1777.  "Voted  to  give  each 
man  that  shall  enlist  for  three  years,  or  during  the  War  to  make  out 
our  Quota  of  thirty  men  £46,  including  the  Continental  and  State's 
Bounty  and  to  raise  the  money  by  Tax,  and  also  that  the  Selectmen 
shall  give  Security  to  each  man  that  enlists  for  the  sum  that  is  to  be 
given  to  the  thirty  men  by  the  town." 

THE    TOWN'S    QUOTA    FOR    THE    CONTINENTAL    ARMY. 

Adjourned  Special  Town  Meeting,  May  4. — From  the 
records.  "  The  officers  having  received  new  orders  to  raise  our 
men,  (if  they  could  not  be  got  for  three  years,  or  during  the  war,) 
for  eight  or  twelve  months,  if  the  town  would  supply  their  places 
with  other  men  at  the  end  of  said  time.  Voted  that  the  Committee 
appointed  at  this  meeting  should  agree  with  the  men  for  eight 
months.  The  Committee  having  reported  that  they  had  agreed 
with  the  men  for  eight  months  for  £20,  that  sum  was  voted  to  them 
accordingly,  and  also  that  the  Selectmen  give  security  to  the  men 
to  their  satisfaction." 

HOLLIS    SOLDIERS     IN    1777,    IN    THE    CONTINENTAL    ARMY. 

In  1777,  as  in  the  year  preceding,  the  State  of  New  Hampshire, 
under  the  laws  and  resolutions  of  Congress,  was  required  to  furnish 
three  regiments  for  the  regular  Continental  army,  commanded  sev- 
erally this  year,  as  in  1776  by  Colonels  Cilley,  Hale  and  Scammel. 
The  men  to  be  raised  for  these  regiments  were  assigned  by  the  New 
Hampshire  State  authorities  to  the  respective  regiments  of  the  State 
militia  in  proportion  to  their  numbers  and  to  the  several  towns,  in 
accordance  with  the  number  of  the  militia  in  each  town.  The 
number  so  set  to  the  town,  was  known  as  the  town's  "  Quota"  and 
the  law  made  it  the  duty  of  the  town  to  keep  its  "Quota"  constantly 
filled.  The  number  set  to  Hollis,  in  this  apportionment,  was  thirty^ 
and  that  number  continued  to  be  the  Hollis  quota  for  the  regular 
army,  till  near  the  end  of  the  war.  It  is  shown  by  the  returns  of 
Col.  Nichols,  the  commander  of  the  regiment  in  i777>  *°  which  the 
Hollis  company  of  militia  belonged,  that  the  thirty  men  whose 
names  are  in  the  lists  below  composed  the  Hollis  quota  for  that 
year,  and  were  enlisted  in  the  winter  or  spring  of  1777'  ^  appears 
from  the  same  "  return"  that  twenty  of  these  men  enlisted  for  three 
years  and  the  rest  for  eight  months. 


J777-J  CONTINENTAL    SOLDIERS    IN    1777-  ljl 

For  three  years.  For  three  years.  For  eight  months. 

David  Ames,  Samuel  Hill,  John  Ball, 

Daniel  Blood,  Asa  Lovejoy,  Andrew  Bailey, 

Isaac  Boynton,  Nathaniel  Patten,  Joel  Bailey, 

Ebenezer  Cutnings,  Thomas  Pratt,  John  Brooks, 

Edward  Carter,  Stephen  Richardson,  John  Boynton,  jd, 

William  Connick,  David  Sanderson,  James  Colbum, 

Jacob  Danforth,  Ebenezer  Townsend,  Jonathan  Parker, 

Ralph  Emerson,  Lcbbeus  Wheeler,  Nehemiah  Pierce, 

John  Godfrey,  John  Youngman,  Eli  Stiles, 

William  Hale,  Thomas  Youngman,  Jacob  Taylor. 

Twenty  of  the  men  in  the  above  lists  enlisted  in  the  sixth  company 
of  the  ist  New  Hampshire  regiment,  commanded  by  Capt.  John 
House,  of  Hanover,  the  rest  of  them,  with  but  one  or  two  excep- 
tions, in  the  first  company  of  the  3d  regiment  of  which  Isaac  Frye 
of  Wilton  was  Captain.  Of  this  last  named  company  Samuel 
Leeman,  Jun.,  of  Hollis,  was  the  Ensign,  and  was  killed  at  one  of 
the  battles  at  the  taking  of  Gen.  Burgoyne  and  his  army  at  Sara- 
toga in  October,  1777.  All  three  of  the  New  Hampshire  Conti- 
nental regiments  fought  in  these  battles  and  acquitted  themselves 
with  their  accustomed  fidelity  and  heroism.  After  the  capture  of 
Burgoyne  and  his  army,  the  theatre  of  war  was  removed  further 
south  to  New  Jersey  and  the  vicinity  of  Philadelphia.  The  New 
Hampshire  troops  being  formed  into  a  distinct  brigade,  shared  in  all 
the  services  and  hardships  of  the  campaign  in  New  Jersey  and 
Pennsylvania.  At  the  battle  of  Monmouth,  a  part  of  them,  in- 
cluding the  ist  New  Hampshire  regiment,  under  Col.  Cilley,  be- 
haved with  such  gallantry,  as  to  merit  and  receive  the  particular  ap- 
probation of  Gen.  Washington. 

Poorly  shod,  clad  and  fed,  in  the  hard  winter  of  1777-8,  they 
patiently  shared  with  their  companions  in  arms  the  privations  and 
sufferings  at  the  ill-provided  winter  quarters  in  the  huts  at  Valley 
Forge.  The  people  of  Hollis,  at  home,  in  the  mean  time,  were 
not  forgetful  of  the  wants  and  sufferings  of  'their  townsmen  in  the 
army.  \  find  from  the  Hollis  documents  still  preserved,  that  about 
the  first  of  January,  177.8,  there  were  collected  by  contribution,  and 
sent  to  them  in  the  camp  at  Valley  Forge,  "20  Pairs  of  Good 
Merchantable  Shoes,  20  Pairs  of  Good  Woolen  Stockings,  ij 
Shirts  made  of  Good  Merchantable  Cloth"  besides  many  other 
articles  for  the  use  and  comfort  of  these  soldiers. 


1^2  AGREEMENT    OF   THE    HOLLIS    MINUTE    MEN.  [1777' 

PATRIOTIC     AGREEMENT    OF   THE    HOLLIS    MINUTE    MEN. 

Early  in  May  1777?  Gen.  Burgoyne  assumed  command  of  the 
large  British  army  in  Canada,  composed  of  British  Regulars, 
Hessians,  Tories  and  Indians,  collected  and  organized  for  the  inva- 
sion of  the  Northern  States,  in  the  hope  and  expectation  of  put- 
ting a  speedy  end  to  the  so-called  rebellion.  At  the  same  time  a 
formidable  British  fleet  was  cruising  along  the  coast  of  New 
England  ready  for  an  attack  upon  the  sea-board.  The  whole  north 
was  in  constant  and  fearful  alarm,  uncertain  upon  what  points  the 
gathering  storm  would  first  break. 

The  patriotic  agreement  below  presented,  drawn  up  at  this  crisis, 
and  in  view  of  the  impending  perils,  is  in  the  hand  writing  of  its  first 
signer,  Capt.  Reuben  Dow,  and  is  still  preserved.  It  has  append- 
ed to  it  the  original  autograph  signatures  of  forty-eight  Hollis  min- 
ute men,  and  tersely  tells  the  manner  and  spirit  with  which  they 
were  ready  to  meet  and  to  aid  in  welcoming  the  invaders.  As  the 
names  of  the  signers  merit  honorable  mention  and  grateful  remem- 
brance, they  are  also  presented. 

"  HOLLES,  May  15,  1777.'' 

"  Whereas  it  appears  that  the  enemies  of  the  United  States  of 
America  are  laying  every  Plan  in  their  power  to.  ruin  and  destroy 
us — and  it  being  hourly  expected  that  a  Fleet  and  Army  will  arrive 
on  some  part  of  our  coast  in  order  to  prosecute  their  wicked  pur- 
pose— we  apprehend  it  to  be  the  Duty  of  all  the  Inhabitants  of  these 
States  to  be  in  the  greatest  Readiness  and  Preparation  to  exert  them- 
selves in  defence  of  their  country  in  this  hour  of  danger." 

"Wherefore  we  whose  names  are  hereunto  subscribed  do 
promise  and  engage  to  equip  ourselves  immediately,  with  Arms, 
Ammunition,  &c.,  and  to  be  ready  at  a  minute's  warning  by  night 
or  by  day,  to  go  and  assist  our  Brethren  wherever  they  may  be 
attacked — that  upon  an  alarm,*  we  will  immediately  appear  upon 
.  the  Parade  at  the  Meeting  House  in  Holies,  and  be  under  the  com- 
mand of  such  officer  and  officers  as  we  shall  choose  ourselves  or  the 
major  part  of  us,  and  that  each  of  us  will  be  provided  with  a  good 
Horse  in  order  that  we  the  sooner  may  get  to  the  place  attacked." 


*An  alarm  was  three  guns  fired  in  quick  succession. 


'7.77-]' 


THE    TICONDEROGA    ALARM. 


'73 


".Reuben  Dow, 
Daniel  Emerson,  Jun., 
Benjamin  Abbot, 
Jonathan  Ames, 
Benjamin  Austin, 
Daniel  Bailey,  Jun., 
Eleazer  Ball, 
William  Ball, 
Daniel  Blood,  Jun., 
Francis  Blood, 
Josiah  Blood, 
Joshua  Boynton, 
Eliphalet  Brown, 
Ephraim  Burge, 
Benjamin  Cqlburn, 
Robert  Colburn, 


Robert  Colburn,  Jun., 
Josiah  Conant, 
John  Cumings, 
Evan  Dow, 
Stephen  Dow, 
Amos  Eastman,  Jun., 
Benjamin  Farley,  Jun., 
Christopher  Farley, 
Ebenezer  Farley, 
Stephen  Farley, 
Josiah  French, 
Jacob  Jewett,  Jun., 
Thomas  Kemp, 
Oliver  Lawrence, 
Oliver  Lawrence,  Jun., 
Nathaniel  Leeman, 


Enoch  Noyes,  Jun., 
Solomon  Pierce, 
Nathan  Phelps, 
John  Platts, 
Francis  Powers, 
Abel  Shipley, 
Isaac  Stearns, 
James  Taylor, 
William  Tenney,  Jun. 
Moses  Thurston,  Jun., 
Joseph  Wheat, 
William  Wood, 
Noah  Worcester,  Jun., 
Benjamin  Wright, 
Lemuel  Wright, 
Uriah  Wright." 


THE    TICONDEROGA    ALARM. 

About  the  zoth  of  June  of  this  year,  Gen.  Burgoyne  with  his  fleet 
and  army  advanced  up  Lake  Champlain,  towards  the  important 
fortress  at  Ticonderoga,  and  soon  after  arrived  with  his  forces 
at  Crown  Point,  within  a  few  miles  of  it,  where  he  halted  for  a 
short  time.  Upon  the  news  of  this  advance,  known  as  the 
'•  Ticonderoga  Alarm,"  a  company  was  at  once  enlisted  and 
organized  at  Hollis  to  aid  in  the  defence  of  Ticonderoga.  This 
company  consisted  of  fifty-eight  men,  inclusive  of  officers,  fifty  of 
whom  were  from  Hollis.  The  commissioned  officers  of  this  com- 
pany were  Daniel  Emerson,  Jun.,  Captain,  Robert  Seaver  ist  Lieu- 
tenant, and  David  Wallingford  2d  Lieutenant,  all  of  Hollis.  The 
company  started  from  Hollis  on  the  3Oth  of  June,  (the  same  day 
the  British  troops  took  possession  of  Ticonderoga)  made  a  rapid 
march  of  sixty-five  miles  to  Walpole,  there  had  orders  to  return  and 
reached  Hollis  again  on  the  4th  of  July.  The  next  day  the  com- 
pany received  orders  to  march  a  second  time  for  Ticonderoga, 
started  on  the  5th  of  July,  proceeded  as  far  as  Cavendish,  Vermont, 
(one  hundred  miles)  and  there  met  a  New  Hampshire  regiment, 
under  Col.  Bellows,  on  their  retreat,  Ticonderoga  having  been 
abandoned  by  its  garrison.  At  Cavendish  the  company  had  orders 
a  second  time  to  return  home,  reached  Hollis  on  the  i5th^of  July 
and  was  disbanded.  The  wages  of  the  private  soldiers  on  these 
expeditions  were  three  shillings  a  day,  and  three  pence  a  mile  for 
travel. 


4  HOLLIS    COMPANY    AT    BENN1NGTON.  [T777- 

NAMES    OF    THE    HOLLIS    MEN    IN    THIS    COMPANY. 

Daniel  Emerson,  Jun.,  Capt.      Eliphalet  Brown,  Nathaniel  Leeman. 

Robert  Seaver,  ist  Lieut.,  Benjamin  Colburn,  Ephraim  Lund, 

David  Wallingford,  ad  Lieut.,  Stephen  Conroy,  Samuel  Merrill, 

Joshua  Boynton,  Ser'gt,  William  Cumings,  Joseph  Nevins, 

Ephraim  Burge,      "  Stephen  Dow,  Elijah  Noyes, 

Isaac  Stearns,  Corp.,  Joseph  Farley,  Ephraim  Pierce, 

Noah  Worcester,  Jun.,  Fifer.    Josiah  Fisk,  Moses  Proctor, 

PRIVATES.  Nehemiah  French,  Jacob  Spalding, 

Benjamin  Abbot,  Lemuel  Hardy,  Moses  Thurston,  Jun.. 

Jonathan  Ames,  Noah  Hardy,  Ebenezer  Townsend, 

Eleazer  Ball,  John  Hobart,  Joseph  Wheat, 

William  Ball,  Joshua  Hobart,  Abner  Wheeler, 

Daniel  Bailey,  Solomon  Hobart,  Jonas  Woods, 

Francis  Blood,  Ebenezer  Jaquith,  Nehemiah  Woods, 

Josiah  Blood,  Ebenezer  Jewett,  Jesse  Worcester, 

Reuben  Blood,  Jonathan  Jewett,  Lemuel  Wright, 

Oliver  Bowers,  Samuel  Jewett,  Uriah  WTright. 


HOLLIS    SOLDIERS    AT    BENNINGTON. 

Upon  the  news  of  the  fall  of  Ticonderoga,  the  New  Hampshire 
General  Court  promptly  met  on  the  lyth  of  July,  and,  in  a  session 
of  three  days,  adopted  the  most  decisive  and  vigorous  measures  for 
the  defence  of  the  country  and  to  stop  the  advance  of  Gen.  Bur- 
goyne.  An  appeal  was  made  to  the  New  Hampshire  militia  and 
minute  men  which  was  at  once  responded  to  with  the  like  spirit 
and  patriotic  devotion  as  in  the  years  before.  In  the  course  of  a  very 
few  days  a  brigade  composed  of  three  regiments  of  New  Hampshire 
volunteers  was  enlisted  and  organized,  and  placed  under  the  com- 
mand of  the  brave  and  popular  Gen.  Stark,  two  of  these  regiments 
consisting  of  ten  companies  each,  and  one  of  them  of  but  five.  These 
regiments  were  commanded  severally  by  Colonels  Nichols  of 
Amherst,  Stickney  of  Concord,  and  David  Hobart  of  Plymouth,  to 
which  place  he  had  removed  from  Hollis,  a  few  years  before.  Of 
the  6th  company  of  Col.  Nichols'  regiment,  John  Goss  was  Captain 
and  David  Wallingford,  2d  Lieutenant,  both  of  Hollis.  This  com- 
pany left  Hollis  on  the  2oth  of  July,  and  was  present  and  shared  in 
the  honors  of  the  brilliant  and  ever  memorable  battle  and  victory 
fought  and  won  at  Bennington,  mainly  by  the  New  Hampshire  vol- 
unteers, on  the  following  i6th  of  August.  The  company  afterwards 
marched  as  far  west  as  Stillwater.  N.  Y.,  and  was  discharged  on 

'  tT* 

the  28th  of  September,  having  been  in  service  two  months  and  nine 
days.  It  is  shown  by  the  Hollis  documents  and  the  return  of  Capt. 
Goss  now  at  Concord,  that  in  his  company  there  were  forty-two  men 


I777']  DEPRECIATION    OF    THE    PAPER    CURRENCY.  175 

from  Hollis,  inclusive  of  officers,  and  that  the  wa^es  paid  the  private 
soldiers  were  £4  los,  per  month,  and  3d.  per  mile  for  travel.  The 
names  of  these  men  were 

John  Goss,  Capt-,  Thomas  Kemp,  Jonathan  Russ, 

David  Wallingford,  Second  Lt.  Archibald  Mclntosh,  Ephraim  Rolfe, 

William  Adams,  James  McDonald,  Jonas  Shed, 

Simeon  Blood,  Samuel  Merrill,  Isaac  Stearns, 

Henry  Bowers,  Daniel  Mooar,  Jun.,  Joseph  Stearns, 

Eliphalet  Brown,  Jacob  Mooar,  Ebenezer  Townsend. 

John  Campbell,  Benjamin  Messcr,  Abner  Wheeler, 

John  Connick,  Benjamin  Nevins.  William  Wood, 

Jonathan  French,  John  Nevins,  Jonas  Woods, 

Timothy  French,  Ephraim  Pierce,  Nehemiah  Woods, 

Stephen  Hazeltine,  Francis  Powers,  Noah  Worcester,  Jun., 

Joshua  Hobart,  Samson  Powers,  Benjamin  Wright, 

Ephraim  How,  James  Rideout,  Samuel  Wright, 

Joseph  How,  Stephen  Runnells,  Jesse  Wyman. 

Two  other  Hollis  soldiers,  viz.,  Samuel  Goodhue  and  Jesse  Wor- 
cester, served  a  part  of  this  year  in  the  garrison  at  Portsmouth,  and 
were  paid  by  the  town  £i,  los.  each. 

I  do  not  find  that  any  Hollis  soldier,  this  year,  died  of  disease  in 
the  service  or  was  killed  in  battle,  with  the  exception  of  Ensign 
Samuel  Leeman,Jun.,  killed  at  Saratoga,  at  the  taking  of  Gen. 
Burgoyne  and  his  army.  He  was  the  son  of  Samuel  Leeman, 
Sen.,  and  born  in  Hollis,  Aug.  7,  1749,  aet.  28  years  at  the  time  of 
his  death. 

In  the  foregoing  lists  of  the  Hollis  soldiers  fourteen  of  the  names 
occur  twice,  the  men  having  enlisted  more  than  once.  Making  the 
proper  deduction,  it  will  appear  that  there  are  in  these  lists  one 
hundred  and  ten  different  names — a  number  equal  very  nearly  to 
one  in  eleven  of  the  population. 

THE     AMOUNT     PAID     BY     THE      TOWN     IN    1 777    FOR    BOUNTIES    AND 

WAGES    WAS    AS    FOLLOWS  : 

£         s. 

To  thirty  Continental  Soldiers,  £20  each,  £600, 

To  men  in  Capt.  Emerson's  Company,  "  Ticonderoga  alarm,"  38,  4, 

To  men  in  Capt.  Goss'  Company  to  Bennington,  &c.,  334, 

To  two  men  to  Portsmouth,  3, 

Making  for  this  year  £§75i  4> 

DEPRECIATION  OF   THE   PAPER   CURRENCY,  AND  THE   LAW 
REGULATING  PRICES. 

During  most  years  of  the  war  there  was  no  money  in  circulation 
as  a  medium  of  exchange,  except  the  Continental  paper  money 
issued  by  Congress  or  the  bills  of  credit  of  the  States.  This  currency 


.76 


DEPRECIATION    OF    THE    PAPER    CURRENCY. 


[1777- 


was  issued  in  such  quantities,  both  by  the  State  and  Congress, 
that  both  from  its  excess  and  also  from  the  fact  of  its  being  exten- 
sively counterfeited,  it  begun  to  depreciate  rapidly,  and  to  an  alarm- 
ing extent,  as  early  as  the  second  year  of  the  war.  This  depreciation 
is  very  plainly  indicated  in  comparing  the  wages  paid  to  soldiers  in 
1775  with  those  paid  in  i777-  ^n  ^e  former  year  the  wages  paid 
to  the  Hollis  soldiers  who  were  at  Cambridge  and  Bunker  Hill 
were  £2,  or  about  $6.67,  per  month,  and  id.  a  mile  for  travel.  In 
1777  the  wages  paid  to  the  Hollis  soldiers  who  went  to  Bennington 
and  New  York  in  July  of  that  year,  were  £4  IDS.  per  month,  and 
3d.  per  mile  for  travel,  nominally  more  than  twice  as  much  for  wages 
and  travel  as  in  i775-  Both  the  General  Court  and  the  people  be- 
came greatly  and  justly  alarmed  at  this  condition  of  the  only  currency 
then  in  use,  and  in  the  hope  of  lessening  or  wholly  arresting  the  evil, 
the  New  Hampshire  legislature,  early  in  the  spring  of  i777>  Passed 
a  law  limiting  and  regulating  the  prices  at  which  the  common 
necessaries  of  life  might  be  sold.  A  portion  of  the  articles  named 
in  this  law  with  the  prices  fixed  for  them  are  presented  below. 


s. 

d. 

s.    d. 

8. 

d. 

Wheat  per  bushel, 

7. 

d, 

Cheese  per  Ib.             o     6,            Beef  per  Ib. 

0, 

3. 

Rye          "        " 

4. 

6, 

Butter 

o 

10             Tow  Cloth  per  yard, 

a, 

3. 

Indian  Corn,  " 

3. 

6, 

Coffee, 

i 

4 

Flannel 

"      " 

3. 

6, 

Oats,                " 

2, 

o, 

Cotton, 

3 

O, 

Linen  Cloth 

<>      << 

4, 

0, 

Peas,               " 

8, 

0, 

Wool, 

2 

a 

N.  E.  Rum, 

per  gal., 

3, 

10, 

Beans,             " 

6, 

o, 

Flax, 

I 

o. 

W.  I.      " 

"      " 

7, 

3, 

Salt, 

10, 

o, 

Pork 

O 

4- 

1-3,     Molasses, 

"      " 

4. 

o. 

DEPRECIATION    OF    THE    PAPER     CURRENCY. 

On  the  second  of  June,  1777,  a  special  town  meeting  in  Hollis 
was  summoned  to  consider  what  should  be  done  by  the  town  in  ref- 
erence to  this  law,  from  the  record  of  which  meeting  we  make  the 
following  extracts :  "  Voted  to  choose  a  Committee  agreeably  to  the 
late  Act  of  the  General  Court,  called  An  Act  in  addition  to  an 
Act  regulating  Prices  of  Sundry  articles  therein  enumerated, 
and  that  Capt.  Reuben  Dow,  Dea.  Enoch  Noyes,  Capt.  Noah  Wor- 
cester, Capt.  Daniel  Kendrick,  and  Capt.  Daniel  Emerson,  be  said 
committee." 

At  a  subsequent  special  town  meeting,  on  the  28th  of  Septem- 
ber of  the  same  year,  called  to  consider  the  same  subject,  the  town 
passed  the  following  vote:  "Voted  that  we  highly  disapprove  of 
the  conduct  of  any  persons  in  endeavoring  to  forestall  or  unrea- 
sonably raise  the  prices  of  the  necessaries  of  Life  ;  and  that  we  will 


1 777-]  DEPRECIATION    OF   THE    PAPER    CURRENCY.  177 

hold  every  such  person  inimical  to  our  present  cause ;  and  that 
we  will  treat  all  such  Persons  with  neglect  and  will  have  no  Deal- 
ings with  them,  and  that  the  Committee  of  Safety  of  the  Town 
shall  judge  and  determine  when  any  Person  shall  transgress  the 
true  intent  and  meaning  of  this  Vote,  and  shall  post  every  such  Per- 
son's name  in  the  Public  Houses  in  town  and  in  the  Public  Prints." 
But  all  these  vigorous,  well  meant  and  patriotic  efforts  of  the 
General  Court,  town  meetings,  and  Committees  of  Safety,  to 
check  this  growing  evil,  were  wholly  fruitless,  and  this  paper  cur- 
rency, from- month  to  month,  continued  to  lessen  in  value,  so  that 
before  the  end  of  the  war  it  became  utterly  worthless.  The  peo- 
ple of  Hollis,  however,  seem  at  last  to  have  gained  a  sensible  idea 
of  the  only  practicable  remedy  for  this  excessive  issue  of  irredeem- 
able promises  to  pay,  as  is  shown  by  the  doings  and  votes  of  a 
special  town  meeting  on  the  27th  of  November  of  this  year.  At 
this  meeting,  as  appears  from  the  record,  the  town  "  Voted,  ist, 
To  give  our  Representative,  the  following  Instructions,  viz.,  to  use 
his  Influence  to  sink  our  State  money  by  way  of  Taxes,  and  2d, 
also  Voted  that  it  is  our  mind  to  pay  a  Tax  of  twelve  double  of 
what  it  was  last  year." 
(12) 


178  WAR   OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

DOINGS  OF  THE  TOWN  MEETINGS  AND  HISTORY  OF  THE*  WAR  CON- 
TINUED.  COMMITTEE  OF  SAFETY  IN  1778. SOLDIER'S  FAMI- 
LIES.  CONTINENTAL  SOLDIERS  IN  1778. VOLUNTEERS  FOR 

RHODE    ISLAND. COMMITTEE     OF     SAFETY    IN    I  779- CONVKN- 

TION     TO     FIX    PRICES. CONTINUED      DEPRECIATION    OF     PAPER 

MONEY. SMALL    POX    IN    HOLLIS. 

RESOLUTIONS    AND    VOTES    OF    THE    TOWN    MEETINGS    IN    1778. 

Articles  of  Confederation  and  Union,  On  the  I5th  of  Novem- 
ber, 1777,  the  Continental  Congress  adopted  articles  of  confedera- 
tion and  perpetual  union  of  the  States,  to  be  submitted  to  the  States 
severally  for  their  approval.  On  the  i9th  of  January,  1778,  a  town 
meeting  in  Hollis  was  called  to  consider,  among  other  things,  these 
articles  of  confederation,  at  which  the  town's  approval  of  them  was 
expressed  as  follows  :  "  Voted  unanimously  our  approbation  of  the 
articles  of  confederation  and  perpetual  union  recommended  by  the- 
Continental  Congress  to  all  the  States." 

The  Town's  ^i.wta  for  the  Army.  Also  at  the  same  meeting, 
"Voted  that  the  Militia  Officers,  Selectmen  and  Committee  of 
Safety  of  the  town  agree  with  the  men  to  supply  the  places  of  our 
eight  months'  men  as  cheap  as  they  can,  and  give  the  security  of  the 
Town  for  their  services  in  the  Continental  Army." 

Committee  of  Safety  for  1778.  Annual  Town  Meeting,  March 
2,  1778.  "  Chose  for  Committee  of  Safety  this  year,  Noah  Wor- 
cester, Esq.,  Mr.  Oliver  Lawrence,  Mr.  Edward  Taylor,  Dea. 
Enoch  Noyes  and  Mr.  Nehemiah  Woods.  Also  Voted  that  the 
Selectmen  take  care  of  the  Continental  Soldiers  families  if  they 
stand  in  need." 

War  Tax.  Special  Toivn  Meeting  April  6,  1778.  "Voted  to 
raise  £830,  to  be  levied  by  a  Tax  on  the  Town  to  defray  the  charges 
of  our  ten  Continental  men." 


1778.]  WAR    OF   THE    REVOLUTION.  179 

Soldiers'  Families.  "Voted  that  Capt.  Daniel  Emerson,  James 
Jewett  and  Jonathan  Taylor,  be  a  Committee  to  provide  for  the 
Continental  Soldiers'  Families,  and  that  they  have  the  Necessaries 
of  life  at  the  price  stated  in  1777,  and  that  the  overplus  be  paid  out 
of  the  Town  Treasury" 

Representatives  to  Concord.  "  Chose  Noah  Worcester,  Esq.,. 
and  Dea.  Enoch  Noyes  to  represent  this  Town  in  the  General  Con- 
vention of  the  State  to  be  held  at  Concord  on  the  loth  of  June 
next." 

This  convention  was  called  in  pursuance  of  a  resolution  of  the 
General  Court,  to  agree  upon  and  present  to  the  people  for  their 
acceptance  a  system  or  "  Plan  for  a  State  Government."*  It  ap- 
pears that  the  plan  of  government  agreed  upon  and  proposed  by 
this  convention,  on  being  submitted  to  the  people,  was  rejected. f 

Soldiers  for  Rhode  Island.  Special  Town  Meeting,  June 
15i  f77&-  From  the  Town  Records.  "  A*:  a  meeting  of  the  In- 
habitants of  the  town  of  Hollis,  called  on  account  of  orders  from. 
Col.  Nichols  for  four  men  to  be  raised  from  this  town  to  go  to  Prov- 
idence to  join  Col.  Peabody's  regiment.  Voted  to  give  to  each  man 
that  will  enlist  £3  35.  6d.  per  month  from  the  time  they  shall  en- 
list till  discharged,  and  that  if  enough  do  not  enlist,  that  the  men 
who  are  drafted  and  go  and  serve  shall  receive  the  same  sum  ;  and 
also  voted  that  the  Selectmen  join  with  the  commissioned  officers 
to  draft  men  at  all  times  when  there  is  occasion." 

Soldiers'  Families.  Special  Town  Meeting',  Oct.  5,  ^77<?- 
"Voted  that  the  Committee  appointed  to  take  care  of  the  Conti- 
nental Soldiers'  families  adhere  strictly  to  the  law  of  the  State,  in 
respect  to  them,  and  that  they  take  care  of  the  families  of  the 
Widows'  Cumings  and  Wheeler  as  if  their  husbands  were  alive." 
The  deceased  soldiers  referred  to  in  this  vote  were  Ebenezer  Cum- 
ings and  Lebbeus  Wheeler,  both  of  whom  enlisted  for  three  years  in 
the  Continental  army  in  the  spring  of  1777.  Cumings  had  died  in 
the  army  of  small  pox,  leaving  (as  appears  from  the  Hollis  records, 
of  births)  a  widow  and  eight  children,  among  whom  was  Jacob 
Abbot  Cumings,  born  Nov.  2,  1772,  afterwards  a  graduate  of  Har- 
vard College,  and  the  author  of  Curnm ings'  School  Geography  and 
other  literary  works.  Wheeler  was  a  son  of  Peter  Wheeler,  bom 
in  Hollis,  October  15,  1750,  and  died  in  the  army  of  "disease  or 
wounds,"  July  10,  177^5  leaving  a  widow  and  one  child. 

*Prov.  Papers,  Vol.  S,  pp.  774 — 5. 
fBelknap,  p.  383. 


I  So  RECRUITS    FOR    THE    CONTINENTAL   ARMY.  [X778- 

Representative  to  General  Court.  Special  Town  Meeting, 
Dec.  i,  1778.  "  Chose  Capt.  Reuben  Dow  to  represent  the  town 
in  the  General  Assembly  to  be  held  at  Exeter  on  the  3d  Wednesday 
of  December  next." 

RECRUITS    FOR    THE    CONTINENTAL    ARMY. 

In  the  month  of  January,  1778,  ten  men  were  wanted  to  fill  the 
Hollis  Continental  quota  to  supply  the  places  of  the  men  who  had 
enlisted  for  eight  months  only.  On  the  ipth  of  that  month,  as  we 
have  seen,  a  special  town  meeting  was  promptly  called  to  supply 
this  deficiency,  and  the  Selectmen,  Committee  of  Safety  with  the 
militia  officers,  were  instructed  to  engage  the  men  and  to  pledge  the 
security  of  the  town  for  their  services.  It  is  shown  by  the  returns 
of  Col.  Nichols,  (now  at  Concord)  that  these  ten  recruits  were  very 
soon  engaged  and  that  most  of  them  were  mustered  into  the  com- 
pany of  Capt.  John  House,  in  the  istNew  Hampshire  Continental 
regiment.  It  appears  from  the  "  Great  Return"  of  the  Selectmen 
of  Hollis,  that  nine  of  them  were  paid  from  £40  6s.  8d.  to  £50 
each.  Their  names  were 

John  Auld,  John  Conroy,  Jun.,  Jacob  Danforth, 

Reuben  Blood,  Stephen  Conroy,  Nathaniel  Patten, 

Simeon  Blood,  William  Cowen,  Joel  Proctor. 
Samuel  Boyd, 

It  is  stated  in  the  return  of  Col.  Nichols  that  Auld  and  Cowen 
belonged  to  Merrimack,  and  Boyd  to  GofFstown,  but  that  they  were 
all  enlisted  for  and  paid  by  Hollis.  It  appears  from  the  rolls  at 
Concord,  that  John  Conroy,  Jun.,  died  in  hospital  at  Danbury,  Conn., 
in  September  of  this  year.  He  was  the  oldest  son  of  John  Conroy, 
Sen.,  and  born  in  Hollis,  December  28,  1761.  Daniel  Blood, 
another  Hollis  soldier,  who  enlisted  for  three  years,  in  the  spring  of 

1777,  died  in  the  army  of  "wounds   or   disease,"  November  28, 

1778,  making   a  loss   by   death    this   year   of  four   of  the   Hollis 
Continental  quota.* 

Men  in  Col.  Peabodys  Regiment.  About  the  middle  of  June 
of  this  year,  a  brigade  of  New  Hampshire  troops  was  raised  for 
service  in  Rhode  Island,  commanded  by  Brig.  Gen.  WhSpple. 
One  of  the  regiments  of  this  brigade  was  commanded  by  Col. 
St  ephen  Peabody,  of  Amherst.  In  the  Second  company  of  this 
regiment,  of  which  Ezekiel  Worthen  of  Kensington,  was  Captain, 
were  three  Hollis  soldiers,  viz.,  Jonathan  Jewett,  Oliver  Lawrence 

*Kidder's  History  of  First  N.  II.  Regiment,  p.  134. 


1778-]  VOLUNTEERS    FOR    RHODE    ISLAND    IN    1778. 


181 


and  Enoch  Spalding.  The  regiment  was  discharged  June  3,  1779, 
having  been  in  the  service  six  months  and  twenty-five  days.  The 
vfages  of  the  men  were  £4  IDS.  per  month,  and  they  were  allowed 
for  travel  in  going  to  Rhode  Island  3d.  per  mile,  and  8d.  per  mile  on 
their  return  home.  The  town  paid  the  three  Hollis  men  a  bounty 
of  £6  each. 

Hollis  Volunteers  to  Rhode  Island  in  August,  1778.  The 
brigade  of  Gen.  Whipple  was  raised  in  the  summer  of  1778  to 
reinforce  the  Continental  army  in  Rhode  Island  in  a  proposed  attack 
upon  the  British  troops  then  in  possession  of  the  island  of  Rhode 
Island.  In  this  attack  it  was  expected  that  a  powerful  French  fleet, 
then  on  the  coast,  under  the  command  of  Admiral  Count  D'Estaing, 
would  co-operate  with  the  army.  But  the  fleet  having  been  dis- 
abled and  dispersed  by  a  violent  storm  just  before  the  time  fixed  for 
the  intended  attack,  the  expedition  failed. 

About  the  6th  of  August  of  this  year,  a  company  of  volunteers  to 
aid  in  this  expedition  was  raised  in  Hollis.  The  company,  includ- 
ing its  officers,  consisted  of  forty-three  men.  It  was  commanded  by 
Capt.  Daniel  Emerson,  and  was  the  ist  company  of  a  regiment 
commanded  by  Col.  Moses  Nichols  of  Amherst.  The  men  were  in 
the  service  from  the  6th  to  the  28th  of  August,  and  were  then  dis- 
charged, in  consequence  of  the  misfortune  to  the  French  fleet.  The 
wages  of  the  private  soldiers  in  this  expedition  were  at  the  rate  of 
£5  per  month,  and  Sd.  per  mile  for  travel,  one  hundred  miles  each 
way,  in  going  and  returning.  They  were  also  paid  by  the  town 
£i  35.  each.  It  is  to  be  inferred  also  that  the  men  were  all  mounted 
and  furnished  their  own  horses,  as  it  is  shown  by  the  return  of  Col. 
Nichols  that  the  company  had  forty-three  horses,  for  which  they 
were  allowed  £10  each,  making  £430.  The  roll  below  presents  a 
list  of  this  company  with  its  officers,  all  from  Hollis. 


Daniel  Emerson,  Capt., 
Caleb  Farley,  Lieut., 
William  Brooks,  Ensign, 
Daniel  Bailey,  Sergeant, 
Josiah  Conant,          " 
Stephen  Runnells,  " 
Abel  Conant,  Corporal, 
Elias  Boynton,       " 
Evan  Dow,  " 

Andrew  Bailey,  Fifer. 

PRIVATES. 
Benjamin  Abbot, 
David  Ames, 
John  Atwcll, 
Nathaniel  Blood, 


Nathaniel  Blood,  Jun., 
Timothy  Blood, 
Thomas  Carter, 
Benjamin  Colburn, 
Reuben  Dow, 
Josiah  Fisk, 
Jonas  Flagfg-, 
Jonathan  French, 
Stephen  Goodhue, 
David  Hale, 
John  Hale,  Jun., 
Noah  Hardy, 
Joshua  Hobart, 
Solomon  Hobart, 
John  How, 


Jacob  Jewett,  3d., 
Daniel  Kendrick, 
Asa  Lawrence, 
Daniel  Merrill,  Jun., 
Samuel  Merrill, 
Elijah  Noyes, 
Jonathan  Parker, 
William  W.  Pool, 
Ephraim  Rolfe, 
Jacob  Spalding, 
Joseph  Wheat, 
Jonas  Woods, 
Noah  Worcester,  Sen., 
Jesse  Worcester. 


l82  CONTINENTAL    QUOTA    FOR    I779«  [X779- 

It  may  be  seen  from  the  foregoing  data,  that  including  the  town's 
quota  of  thirty  Continental  soldiers;  Hollis  in  1778  had  seventy-six 
men  in  the  service,  for  the  whole  or  a  part  of  that  year. 

VOTES    AND     RESOLUTIONS    OK    THE    TOWN    MEETINGS    IN     1779- 

Committee  of  Safety.  Annual  Toivn  Meeting*  March  /,  1779. 

''  Voted  and  chose  Noah  Worcester,  Esq.,  Mr.  Oliver  Lawrence, 
Mr.  Jacob  Jewett,  Ensign  Stephen  Ames  and  Mr.  Edward  Taylor, 
Committee  of  Safety,  Correspondence,  and  Inspection." 

Soldiers'  Families.  ;t  Voted  that  the  Overseers  of  the  Poor  take 
care  of  the  Continental  Soldiers'  Families,  and  have  particular 
regard  to  the  families  of  those  that  have  died  in  the  army." 

Capt.  Leonard  Whiting's  War  Rate.  "Mr.  Samuel  Chamber- 
lain, one  of  the  constables  of  Hollis,  having  informed  the  town  that 
Capt.  Leonard  Whiting  refused  to  pay  his  War  Tax,  Voted  to 
defend  said  Chamberlain  and  that  he  be  indemnified  in  recovering 
the  same,  so  far  as  he  has  acted  according  to  law." 

QUOTA    OF    CONTINENTAL    SOLDIERS. 

Special  Town  Meeting,  March  j/,  *779-  "Chose  Noah  Wor- 
cester, Esq.,  Capt.  Reuben  Dow,  and  Capt.  Daniel  Emerson,  to 
take  the  method  they  shall  think  best  and  proper  to  get  our  Quota 
of  Continental  men." 

Special  Town  Meeting,  Jtily  5,  /77p.  "  Voted  that  the  Com- 
mittee chosen  at  the  last  meeting  be  joined  with  the  Selectmen,  and 
Militia  officers  to  assist  in  getting  our  Continental  Men,  either  by 
draft  or  otherwise  as  they  shall  think  best  for  the  town." 

Special  Toivn  Meeting,  July  /£>,  /770.  "  Voted  ist,  to  raise 
the  men  called  for  to  fill  up  the  New  Hampshire  Battalions,  being 
our  proportion  of  the  Continental  Army,  as  a  town  for  one  year, 
and  chose  Ensign  Jeremiah  Ames,  Dr.  Jonathan  Fox,  and  Jacob 
Jewett,  Jim.,  a  Committee  to  hire  for  one  year  our  nine  Continen- 
tal Men." 

"  zd.  Voted  that  said  Committee  be  empowered  to  give  the 
Town's  Security  to  each  of  said  nine  men  for  any  sum  of  money 
that  they  may  agree  with  them  for,  and  the  Town  to  be  responsible 
to  said  Committee  for  said  Sums,  and  the  Committee's  trouble  in 
raising  said  men,  and  that  the  Selectmen  be  empowered  to  assess 
the  Polls  and  Estates  of  this  town  the  sum  of  money  that  it  shall 
cost  to  raise  said  men." 


CONTINENTAL    QUOTA    FOR    1 779. 


'83 


On  the  2d  of  August,  about  two  weeks  after  this  last  meeting,  this 
committee  made  their  report  in  writing  to  the  town  showing  that 
they  had  engaged  eight  of  the  nine  men  wanted,  with  their  names 
and  the  bounties  agreed  to  be  paid  to  each  of  them  for  the  year's 
service. 

A  copy  of  this  report  is  presented  below  as  follows : 
"  The  Inhabitants  of  the  Town    of  Holies   to  JeTemiah  Ames, 
Jonathan  Fox  and  Jacob  Jewett,  Jun.,  a  Committee  chosen  by  said 
Town  to  agree  with  and  hire  nine  men  to  go  into  the  Continental 
Army  for  one  year  for  said  town.  Dr. 

*'  Aitg.  2*  1779-      To  cash  and  our  security  given  to  Eight  men 
as  a  Bounty  from  said  ToTvn  to  go  into  said  service. 


to  Caleb  Stiles,                Cash,  £300 

10  Bushels  of  Rye. 

10  Do.  of  Ind.  Corn. 

'  Caleb  Stiles,Jun., 

"       £300 

10  Bushels  of  Rve. 

10  Do.  of 

nd.  Corn. 

'  Ephraim1  Pearce, 

"       £300 

10  Bushels  of  Rye. 

10  Do.  of 

nd.  Corn. 

'  Francis  G.  Powers, 

"       £300 

10  Bushels  of  Rye. 

10  Do.  of 

nd.  Corn. 

'  Jerathmael  Bowers, 

"       £300 

10  Bushels  of  Rye. 

10  Do.  of 

nd.  Corn. 

'  Jacob  Hobart, 

"       £300 

10  Bushels  of  Rye. 

10  Do.  of 

nd.  Corn. 

'  Joseph  Stearns, 

"       £'77 

17  Bushels  of  Rye. 

20  Do.  of 

nd.  Corn. 

'   Simeon  Foster, 

"       £210 

10  Bushels  of  Rve, 

10  Do.  of 

nd.  Corn. 

Lawful  Money, 


£2,187.  87  Bushels  of  Rye. 


"  Holies.  Aug.  3.  1779." 


90  Bushs.  Ind.  Corn. 
JEREMIAH  AMES. 
JONATHAN  Fox. 
JACOB  JEWETT,  Jun." 


The  "  Return"  of  Col.  Nichols  for  the  regiment  shows  that  the 
ninth  man  enlisted  for  the  town  under  this  call  was  Joseph  Wheat, 
but  it  does  not  appear  what  bounty  was  paid  him. 

VOLUNTEERS    FOR    RHODE    ISLAND    AND    PORTSMOUTH. 

In  the  spring  or  summer  of  this  year  a  regiment  of  New 
H  ampshire  troops  was  raised  for  service  in  Rhode  Island,  com- 
manded by  Col.  Hercules  Mooney,  of  Lee.  In  this  regiment  were 
six  Hollis  men,  viz..  Daniel  Emerson,  Jun..  who  was  captain  of  the 
5th  company.  Dr.  Peter  Emerson,  a  brother  of  Captain  Emerson, 
(the  surgeon  of  the  regiment,)  Daniel  Bailey,  Daniel  Kendrick, 
John  Hobart.  and  Samuel  Emerson,  another  brother  of  Capt. 
Emerson,  then  in  his  fifteenth  year,  afterwards  a  graduate  of  Harvard 
college,  and  an  eminent  physician.  The  men  were  discharged  on 
the  first  of  January,  1780,  having  been  in  the  service  near  six 
months.  The  wages  of  the  private  soldiers  were  £12  per  month. 
Bounty  paid  by  the  town,  £9.  All  owed  fortravel  to  Providence 
.28.  per  mile — from  Providence,  home,  35.  per  mile. 


184  CONTINENTAL    QUOTA    FOR    1779-  [*779' 

The  original  commission  of  Capt.  Emerson,  as  a  Captain  in  this 
regiment,  signed  by  Meshech  Weare,  President  of  the  New 
Hampshire  Council,  has  been  preserved  in  the  family  of  a  grand- 
son, and  a  copy  of  it  is  presented  below. 

The  Government  and  people  of  the  State  of  New  Hampshire 
to  Daniel  Emerson,  Esq.,  Greeting, 


f 

f   Seal. 


u  We  reposing  especial  trust  and  confidence  in  your  courage  and 
good  conduct,  do  by  these  Presents  constitute  and  appoint  you  the 
said  DANIEL  EMERSON,  Captain  of  a  company  in  a  regiment  raised 
within  said  State,  for  the  defence  of  the  State  of  Rhode  Island,  of 
which  regiment  Hercules  Mooney,  Esq.,  is  Colonel.  You  are  there- 
fore carefully  and  diligently  to  discharge  the  duty  of  a  Captain  in 
leading,  ordering  and  exercising  the  said  company  in  arms,  both 
inferior  officers  and  soldiers,  and  to  keep  them  in  good  order  and 
discipline,  and  they  are  hereby  required  and  commanded  to  obey 
you  as  their  Captain,  and  you -are  yourself  to  observe  and  follow 
such  orders  and  instructions  as  you  shall  from  time  to  time  receive 
from  the  General  and  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Continental 
Forces,  or  any  other  your  superior  officers  according  to  Military 
Rules  and  Discipline  in  war  in  pursuance  of  the  trust  reposed  in  you. 

In  Testimony  whereof  we  have  caused  the  Seal  of  said  State  to  be 
hereunto  affixed. 

Witness,  MESHECH  WEARE,  Esq.,  the  President  of  our  Council, 
at  Exeter  this  3oth  day  of  June,  A.  D.,  1779. 

M.  WEARE. 

E.  THOMPSON,  Secretary. 

It  also  appears  from  the  Revolutionary  rolls,  preserved  in 
Concord,  that  in  the  year  1779,  John  Goodhue,  Joseph  Hardy  and 
Silas  Hardy,  all  of  Hollis,  enlisted  in  the  company  of  Capt. 
Hezekiah  Lovejoy,  to  serve  for  six  months  in  the  garrison  at 
Portsmouth. 

At  a  special  town  meeting  Aug.  25th  of  this  year,  ••  Voted  to 
allow  Dea.  Enoch  Noyes  £21  2s.,  and  Noah  Worcester,  Esq.,  £46 
98.  for  services  in  attending  the  Convention  to  agree  upon  and  set- 
tle a  Plan  .of  State  Government,"  also  at  the  same  meeting,  "  chose 
Col.  John  Hale  to  represent  this  town  in  the  Convention  to  be  held 
at  Concord  on  the  23d  of  September  next." 


1 779-]  PLAN    FOR    FIXING    PRICES.  185 

This  was  a  general  convention  of  delegates  from  the  State,  called 
together  in  the  vain  hope  of  being  able  to  devise  some  farther  ex- 
pedients to  arrest  the  rapid  depreciation  of  the  paper  currency  by 
limiting  and  regulating  the  prices  of  the  necessaries  of  life.  The 
extent  at  this  time  of  this  alarming  depreciation  may  be  readily  in- 
ferred by  comparing  the  wages  and  bounties  paid  to  soldiers  at  the 
beginning  of  the  war,  with  those  paid,  as  may  be  seen  above,  in  the 
month  of  August,  1779.  In  1775,  the  wages  paid  by  the  town  to 
the  eight  months'  men  who  went  to  Cambridge  were  £i  IDS.  per 
month,  or  at  the  rate  of  £18  per  year.  In  1776,  the  men  who  en- 
listed for  the  year  were  paid  in  all  £24  by  the  town,  or  at  the  rate 
of  £2  per  month.  In  1779  there  were  paid  by  the  town  to  the 
Hollis  soldiers  for  a  years'  service,  £300  and  10  bushels  of  rye,  and 
10  bushels  of  corn. 

The  Concord  convention,  as  appears,  met  as  proposed,  and 
agreed  upon  a  schedule  of  prices  of  certain  commodities  and  ne- 
cessaries, leaving  it  for  the  towns  to  state  and  limit  the  prices  of 
others.  The  convention  having  finished  its  work,  a  town  meeting 
was  called  on  the  following  2ist  of  October  to  consider  the  report 
and  proceedings  of  that  body  and  to  determine  what  further  should 
be  done  by  the  town.  From  the  record  of  this  meeting  we  quote 
as  follows  : 

PLAN    OF    FIXING    PRICES     BY    THE    COXCORD    CONVENTION. 

Special  Town  Meeting,  Oct.  21,  7779.  "  Voted  unanimously 
our  entire  approbation  of  the  Proceedings  of  the  Convention  held  at 
Concord,  in  September  last  Stating  Prices,  &c."  "Voted  to  pur- 
sue the  Plan  laid  down  by  the  Convention  for  Stating  Prices,  and 
to  State  the  Prices  for  articles  for  this  town,  not  stated  by  the  Con- 
vention— to  see  the  Plan  carried  into  effect — and  to  correspond  with 
other  towns, — and  chose  Col.  John  Hale,  Capt.  Daniel  Kendrick, 
Dea.  John  Boynton,  Capt.  John  Goss,  Ephraim  Burge,  Ebenezer 
Runnells,  Jacob  Jewett,  Christopher  Farley,  Josiah  Fisk  and  Lt. 
Ebenezer  Jewett,  said  Committee.  Adjourned  to  Nov.  16. 

Adjourned  Town  Meeting,  Nov.  f6,  1779.  *'  Voted  to  accept 
the  Report  of  the  Committee." 

In  the  mean  time,  previous  to  the  i6th  of  November,  the  fore- 
going committee  prepai'ed  their,  report  and  submitted  it  to  the 
meeting  held  on  that  day.  The  report  was  then  accepted  by  the 
town  as  shown  bv  the  record  of  the  meeting  as  follows : 


l86  DEPRECIATION    OF    PAPER    MONEY.  [J779- 

Adjourned  Town  Meeting,  Nov.  16,  ///<?•  "Voted  to  accept 
the  Report  of  the  Committee  appointed  on  the  2ist  of  October,  and 
that  each  person  in  town  govern  himself  accordingly  under  the 
penalty  of  being'  treated  as  an  enemy  of  his  Country,  and  that 
copies  of  the  same  be  posted  .up  in  the  public  houses  in  town 
attested  by  the  town  clerk. 

"At  this  meeting  a  paper  that  had  been  set  up  at  Runnell's 
(Mills)  by  order  of  the  town,  attested  by  the  town  clerk,  being 
brought  in  a,nd  exhibked  to  the  meeting  much  defaced,  upon  view 
of  which,  the  Town  voted  unanimously  their  resentment  of  the 
matter,  and  that  the  Committee  should  enquire  into  the  affair  and 
report  at  the  next  meeting." 

Zachariah  Lawrence  Jan.,  and  his  of  fence.  It  appearing  from 
the  report  of  the  committee  to  the  next  town  meeting,  held  on  the  9th 
of  December,  that  Zachariah  Lawrence,  Jun.,  was  guilty  of  defac- 
ing the  paper  containing  the  list  of  prices  set  up  by  the  town  clerk 
at  Runnells,  "Voted  that  the  Committee  of  Safety  be  empowered 
to  settle  the  affair  with  Zachariah  Lawrence.  Jun.,  for  his  offence 
in  defacing  a  certain  paper  as  they  shall  think  proper,  and  that 
if  said  Lawrence  refuses  to  settle  to  their  satisfaction  to  pursue  him 
in  the  law  and  make  report  to  the  town  as  soon  as  may  be." 

SCALE  OF  DEPRECIATION  OF  PAPER  MONEY. 

In  the  year  1781,  the  New  Hampshire  General  Court  prepared 
and  adopted  what  was  called  an  "Authorized  Scale  of  Depreciation 
of  Continental  Paper  Money,"  in  accordance  with  wrhich,  contracts 
made  at  different  dates  during  the  war  might  be  equitably  settled 
with  silver  money.  The  following  table  copied  from  that  scale 
indicates  the  value  of  JL'ioo  in  silver  as  compared  with  its  equiva- 
lent in  Continental  paper  money  in  different  years  as  fixed  by  the 

General  Court. 

i 

June,  1777.  £100  in  silver  equal  to  £120  Continental  paper. 

"  1778,  £100  "  £425 

"  1779.  £100  "  £1342            " 

"  1780,  £100  "  £5700 

"  1781,  £100  "             "  £12000         "               " 

After  the  last  date  Continental  paper  monev  became  worthless. 

SMALL    POX    IN    HOLLIS. 

It  is  stated  by  Rev.  Grant  Powers,  in  his  Centennial  address, 
delivered  in  1830,  "  That  in  the  year  1779  the  small  pox  broke  out 


1 779-]  SMALL    POX    IN    HOLLIS.  187 

in  the  town,  supposed  to  have  been  communicated  by  the  Enemy  of 
our  Country,  and  two  houses  were  improved  as  Hospitals.  One  of 
these  houses  was  afterwards  owned  and  occupied  by  Lemuel 
Wright,  and  the  other  by  James  Rideout.  In  the  last  named  of 
these  houses  there  were  at  one  time  more  than  one  hundred 
patients.  About  one  hundred  and  fifty  persons  were  inoculated,  of 
whom  three  died,  and  five  others  who  took  the  disease  from 
exposure  to  the  infection,  also  died." 

It  appears  from  the  town  records  that  Col.  John  Hale  was  put  in 
charge  of  these  hospitals,  with  a  supervisory  committee,  consisting 
of "  Noah  Worcester,  Stephen  Ames,  Oliver  Lawrence,  Capt. 
Daniel  Emerson,  Solomon  Rogers,  Dea.  Stephen  Jewett  and 
Edward  Taylor,  who  were  to  take  security  of  Col.  Hale  and  place 
him  under  proper  restrictions." 


WAR    OF    THK    REVOLUTION.  [1780, 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

1780  AND  1781. VOTES  AND  RESOLUTIONS. — HOLLIS  CONTINENTAL 

OJJOTA. WAGES  OF    SOLDIERS. —  MILITIA   FOR  WEST    POINT  AND 

NORTHERN  FRONTIER. THEIR    WAGES    AND  BOUNTIES. TAXES 

ASSESSED    TO    PAY  THEM. BEEF    FOR    THE  ARMY  IN   1780,    1781. 

REDUCTION     OF     NEW     HAMPSHIRE    TROOPS. REDUCTION     OF 

THE  HOLLIS  OJJOTA. TWELVE  CONTINENTAL    SOLDIERS  CALLED 

FOR    AND  ENGAGED. THEIR    NAMES. BEEF    FOR    THE  ARMY   IN 

1781   AND  HOW  OBTAINED. THE    TOWN    DIVIDED    INTO  CLASSES. 

NEW    CALL     FOR     TWELVE    SOLDIERS. RUM    FOR     THE    ARMY. — 

REPRESENTATIVE    IN    1781. 

VOTES    AND    RESOLUTIONS    OF    THE    TOWN    MEETINGS    IN    1780. 

Annual  Town  Meeting,  March  <5, 1780.  "Chose  Ephraim  Burge, 
Lt.  Ebenezer  Jewett  and  Ebenezer  Runnells  a  committee  to  take 
care  of  Soldiers'  Families,  and  voted  that  the  Selectmen  and  com- 
missioned officers  settle  with  the  Rhode  Island  men  for  1779  and 
the  men  who  went  to  Portsmouth  last  Fall,  as  to  what  they  shall 
receive  on  account  of  the  fall  of  Money,  agreeably  to  our  agree- 
ment with  them,  and  also  voted  that  Ebenezer  Runnells,  Noah 
Worcester  and  Jacob  Jewett  be  a  committee  to  procure  the  Grain 
for  the  last  Continental  men  and  settle  with  them  and  that  the  Select- 
men assess  the  amount  on  the  Polls  and  Estates  of  the  town." 

No  new  Committee  of  Safety  was  chosen  this  year  or  after  1779. 

RECRUITS  FOR  THE  CONTINENTAL  ARMY 

Special  Toivn  Meeting,  Jttne  28,  1780.  It  is  shown  by  the 
record  of  a  special  town  meeting  held  June  28th  of  this  year,  that 
there  was  then  a  deficiency  of  nine  men  in  the  Hollis  Continental 
quota.  At  this  meeting  the  town  "voted  to  hire  nine  able-bodied 
men  to  serve  in  the  Continental  Army  till  the  last  day  of  December 
next,  and  that  Jonathan  Fox,  Jacob  Jewett,  Jun.,  and  Ephraim 


i78o.] 


MILITIA    TO    WEST    POINT. 


189 


Stephen  Conroy, 

£210  &  90 

Nathaniel  Patten, 

£5'°  &  79 

Asa  Lovejoy, 

£210        90 

Abe!  Lovejoy, 

£210        90 

Jesse  Worcester, 

£210        90 

Lemuel  Blood, 

£210        90 

Reuben  Blood, 

£210        90 

Nathaniel  Blood, 

£210        90 

Bnrge  be  a  committee  to  hire  said  men,  and  to  give  security  in 
behalf  of  the  Town  in  any  way  they  think  proper."  On  the  4th  of 
July,  within  a  week  after  this  meeting,  this  committee  made  the  fol- 
lowing report  of  its  doings  : 

"  The  Inhabitants  of  the  Town  of  Hollis  to  Jonathan  Fox, 
Jacob  Jewett,  Jun.,  and  Ephraim  Burge  as  a  committee 
chosen  by  said  Town  to  agree  with  and  hire  nine  men  to  go 
into  the  Continental  Army  for  six  months  for  said  Town.  Dr. 

July  4, 1780.      To  cash  and  our  security  given  to  nine  men.    Viz. 

To  Jacob  Danforth,          Cash,   £210.       90  Bushels  of  Rye,     &  10  Bushels  of  Ind  Corn. 

and  one  Blanket, 
and  one  Blanket, 
and  one  Blanket, 
and  one  Pair  of  Shoes, 
and  one  Pair  of  Shoes, 
and  one  Pair  of  Shoes. 

Lawful  Money,  £2,190     799  Bushels  of  Rye,  3  Blankets,  3  Pair  of  Shoes. 

N.  B.    The  wages  of  the  nine  six  months'  men  belong  to  the  Town." 

It  appears  from  the  above  note  that  the  full  amount  of  the  wages 
of  these  men  was  paid  in  advance  by  the  town,  the  men  being 
unwilling,  probably  on  account  of  the  state  of  the  currency,  to  give 
credit  to  the  State  or  Congress. 

MILITIA    TO    WEST    POINT. 

It  is  shown  also  by  the  "Great  Return"  of  the  Selectmen  of 
Hollis  before  often  referred  to,  that  Abel  Blood,  another  Hollis  sol- 
dier, enlisted  at  the  same  time  with  these  nine,  in  the  Continental 
army,  and  was  paid  the  like  amount  of  wages. 

MILITIA    FOR    WEST    POINT    AND    THE    NORTHERN    FRONTIER. 

Early  in  July  of  this  year  a  further  call  was  made  upon  the  town 
for  fifteen  men  for  three  months  to  aid  in  the  defence  of  West 
Point,  and  for  three  others  to  serve  for  six  months  on  the  northern 
frontier.  On  the  3d  of  July  a  town  meeting  was  called  to  act  upon 
this  subject,  and  also  to  raise  money  to  pay  the  "  nine  "  men  who 
had  enlisted  in  the  Continental  army. 

Special  Town  Meeting,  July  jd,  1780.  Extracts  from  the 
Record.  "Voted  that  the  Selectmen  procure  the  money  for  the 
nine  men  the  committee  have  engaged  the  best  way  they  can,  and 
that  Dr.  Jonathan  Fox,  Jacob  Jewett,  Jun.,  and  Ephraim  Burge  be 
a  committee  to  assist  in  raising  the  eighteen  men  now  called  for." 


190  MEN    FOR    WEST    POINT.  [_If8l, 

/ 

Within  about  two  weeks  after  this  meeting,  this  committee  made 
report  to  the  town  that  they  had  procured  fourteen  of  the  men  for 
three  months  to  go  to  West  Point  and  two  of  those  to  serve  on  the 
northern  frontier.  The  bounties  agreed  upon  for  the  men  to  go  to 
West  Point  were  to  be  paid  wholly  in  either  rye  or  corn,  as  follows  : 
to  one  of  them  thirty-five  bushels  of  rye  ;  to  two  others,  thirty 
bushels  of  corn  each  ;  to  another,  forty-five  bushels  of  corn  ;  to  each 
often  others,  fifty  bushels  of  corn.  These  fourteen  men  were  all  to 
retain  their  government  wages.  To  Simeon  Blood  and  Thomas 
Youngman,  the  two  men  engaged  to  serve  for  six  months  on  the 
northern  frontier,  the  committee  agreed  to  pay  ninety  bushels  of  rye 
and  £210  each  in  money. — '-'•the government  wages  of  these  two  to 
belong  to  the  town"  It  appears  from  the  "Great  Return,"  that  two 
others,  paid  the  like  bounties  with  the  fourteen,  were  engaged  for 
West  Point,  making  sixteen  for  that  place,  and  the  whole  eighteen 
called  for  from  the  town. 

NAMES    OF   THE    MEN    FOR    WEST    POINT. 

Andrew  Bailey,  Jesse  Hardy,  Silas  Lawrence, 

Richard  Bailey,  Lemuel  Hardy,  Nathaniel  Leeinan, 

Josiah  Blood,  Lieut.  Ebenezer  Jewett,  Daniel  Merrill,  Jun., 

John  Conroy,  Jacob  Jewett,  3d.,  Stephen  Parker, 

Stephen  Dow,  Nicholas  Lawrence,  Francis  Grant  Powers. 
Jonas  Flagg, 

These  sixteen  men  were  enlisted  in  the  company  of  Capt. 
William  Barron,  in  a  regiment  commanded  by  Col.  Nichols.  It 
is  shown  by  the  regimental  returns  now  with  the  army  rolls  at 
Concord,  that  these  men  were  enlisted  July  6,  1780,  and  were  dis- 
charged on  the  22d  of  the  following  October,  having  been  in  the 
'service  three  months  and  sixteen  days.  The  wages  paid  by  the 
government  were  £134  per  month  and  6s.  per  mile  for  travel.  It 
is  stated  in  the  Elollis  Centennial  address,  that  Francis  Grant 
Powers,  one  of  these  sixteen  soldiers,  was  killed  at  Crown  Point. 
He  was  a  son  of  Francis  Powers,  and  a  grandson  of  Capt.  Peter 
Powers,  the  first  settler  of  Hollis,  and  was  born  January  8,  1764. 

PAY    FOR    THE    HOLLIS    SOLDIERS. 

"  Special  Town  Meeting,  November  23,  1780.  Chose  Dr. 
Jonathan  Fox,  Jacob  Jewett,  Jun.,  and  Mr.  Ephraim  Burge  a 
committee  to  settle  with  the  soldiers  they  have  hired  and  report  to 
the  town  what  sum  of  money  to  raise.  Adjourned  to  December 
5."  Adjourned  Special  Town  Meeting,  December  c;.  1780. 


1781.]  REDUCTION    OF   NEW    HAMPSHIRE    OJJOTA.  19! 

The  committee  above  appointed  having  reported  in  respect  to  the 
soldiers,  "  Voted  to  raise  £32,000  to  pay  the  money  borrowed  for 
said  soldiers,  and  to  procure  the  grain  engaged  to  the  three  and  six 
months  men,  and  that  Capt.  Daniel  Emerson,  Mr.  Ephraim  Burge 

and  Lieut.  Ebenezer  Jewett  be  a  committee  to  puixhase  said  grain." 

I 

BEEF    FOR   THE    ARMY. 

The  town  in  August  of  this  year  was  called  upon  to  furnish 
16,000  pounds  of  beef  for  the  army,  and  at  a  town  meeting  held  on 
the  3ist  of  August  the  town  voted  a  tax  of  £25,000  for  the  purchase 
of  this  16,000  Ibs.  of  beef,  being  at  the  rate  of  £i  us.  6d.,  or  some- 
what more  than  $5  per  pound.  On  the  23d  of  November,  1780, 
Col.  John  Hale  was  chosen  to  represent  the  town  in  the  General 
Court  to  be  holden  at  Exeter  on  the  3d  of  the  following  December, 

REDUCTION    OF   NEW  HAMPSHIRE    TROOPS    IN    1781.. 

By  an  act  of  the  General  Court,  passed  January  12,  1781,  the 
number  of  New  Hampshire  troops  for  the  regular  army  was  reduced 
to  one  thousand  three  hundred  and  fifty-four,  to  be  organized  into 
two  regiments,  and  to  serve  for  three  years  or  during  the  war. 

The  number  of  men  to  be  furnished  for  this  force  by  Hollis  was 
reduced  from  thirty,  the  old  quota,  to  a  new  quota  of  but  twenty. 
At  that  date,  as  appears  from  the  army  rolls,  there  were  nine 
Continental  soldiers  in  the  army,  who  had  been  previously  enlisted 
to  serve  during  the  war.  The  names  of  these  soldiers  were 

Samuel  Boyd,  Stephen  Richardson,  Eli  Stiles, 

Thomas  Pratt,  Lemuel  Rogers,  Joseph  Wheat, 

Joel  Proctor,  David  Sanderson,  Jabez  Youngman. 

Boyd,  Pratt,  Proctor,  Richardson,  Sanderson  and  Youngman 
enlisted  in  the  ist  New  Hampshire  regiment,  and  were  in  that 
regiment  December  31,  1782,  and  afterwards,  as  supposed,  till  the 
regiment  was  discharged  in  1783.* 

The  time  of  the  service  of  a  large  part  of  the  Hollis  quota  having 
expired  about  this  time,  a  town  meeting  was  summoned  on  the  i9th 
of  February,  1781,  to  supply  .such  deficiencies  as  might  exist  in  the 
new  quota.  At  this  meeting  Capt.  Daniel  Emerson,  Dr.  Jonathan 
Fox  and  Mr.  Ephraim  Burge  were  appointed  a  committee  to  enquire 
into  the  subject,  to  engage  the  soldiers  wanted,  and  to  make  report 
to  the  next  town  meeting.  This  committee  afterwards,  at  the 

*Kidder's  History  of  ist  N.  H.  Regiment,  p.  i6a. 


192  CONTINENTAL    QUOTA.  LI7^1 ' 

adjourned  annual  town  meeting  held  on  the  I2th  of  March,  made 
report,  that  twelve  men  were  then  wanted  to  complete  the  new 
quota.  Upon  this  report  being  made,  the  town,  at  that  meeting, 
instructed  this  committee  to  engage  the  men,  and  to  give  security 
in  behalf  of  the  town  for  such  wages  or  bounties  as  they  should 
agree  with  them  for,  and  also  voted  a  war  tax  of  £800  for  the  war 
charges  of  the  year,  and  appointed  "Noah  Worcester,  Esq., 
Jonathan  Taylor  and  John  Atwell,  a  committee  to  hire  the  money 
till  this  tax  could  be  collected." 

BEEF    FOR    THE    ARMY    IN    1 78 1. 

The  town  also  at  the  same  meeting  voted  a  tax  of  £800,  "  new 
emission,"  to  purchase  the  town's  quota  of  beef  for  this  year,  and 
appointed  Capt.  Daniel  Emerson,  Ephraim  Burge  and  Jeremiah 
Ames  a  committee  to  procure  it.  The  report  of  the  committee  for 
hiring  these  twelve  men  is  not  found,  and  is  probably  lost.  But  the 
returns  and  army  rolls  at  Concord  show  that  they  all  enlisted  for 
three  year*,  and  the  returns  of  the  Hollis  Selectmen  also  show  that 
the  town  paid  each  of  them  a  bounty  of  £60.  or  $200.  As  the 
old  Continental  paper  money  had  now  become  worthless  these 
bounties  were  doubtless  paid  in  specie  or  its  equivalent,  amounting 
in  all  to  £720,  or  $2,400.  Instead  of  entailing  this  amount  as  a 
debt  upon  the  town  to  be  paid  toy  posterity,  as  has  been  too  often 
done  in  more  modern  times  in  like  cases,  our  ancestors  at  their 
annual  town  meeting  assessed  a  war  tax  of  £800  or  $2,666.67,  to 
meet  it,  to  be  collected  and  paid  the  same  year.  The  names  of 
these  twelve  men  were 

John  Bonner,  Benjamin  W.  Grace,  Stephen  Parker. 

Elijah  Clark,  Isaac  Hobart,  Ezekiel  Proctor, 

Edward  Deane,  Jacob  Hobart,  James  Rolfe, 

John  Godfrey,  John  McHendley,  Asahel  Twiss. 

At  a  special  town  meeting  held  on  the  i4th  of  May  of  this  year  a 
resolution  was  adopted,  that  for  the  purpose  of  engaging  soldiers  in 
answer  to  future  calls,  the  town  should  be  divided  into  Classes,  and 
the  Selectmen  and  Mr.  Ephraim  Burge  were  chosen  as  a  committee 
to  "  class  the  town."  It  appears  that  in  pursuance  of  this  resolu- 
tion the  town  was  divided  into  eight  "  classes." 

THE    TOWN'S    OJJOTA    OF    BEEF    FOR    1781. 

Special  Town  Meeting,  June  25,  1781.  At  this  meeting  the 
town  "  Voted  that  as  the  town  is  now  divided  into  eight  classes, 
the  quantity  of  beef  we  have  to  get  be  divided"  to  each  class  according 


I^Sl.]  NEW    CALL   FOR    SOLDIERS.  193 

to  valuation,  (except  as  to  non-residents)  and  that  the  Selectmen 
set  down  each  man's  portion  of  beef  to  his  name  and  that  if  any 
class  or  person  refuse  to  pay  their  or  his  proportion  of  beef  the 
same  shall  be  committed  to  the  Constable  to  collect,  and  tjiat  the 
Selectmen  shall  set  such  sum  in  specie  to  such  delinquent  as  will  be 
sufficient  to  pay  for  his  proportion  of  beef." 

NEW    CALL    FOR    SOLDIERS. 

In  the  month  of  July  of  this  year  a  requisition  was  made  by  the 
State  upon  the  town  for  twelve  men  to  serve  in  the  army  for  three 
months.  In  consequence  of  this  call  a  town  meeting  was  held  on 
the  i9th  of  July,  at  which  it  was  "voted  that  the  eight  classes  into 
which  the  town  was  divided  should  be  so  coupled  that  each  two 
classes  should  procure  three  good  effective  men."  The  Great 
Return  shows  that  nine  of  these  three  months'  men  were  enlisted 
and  paid  by  the  town.  No  record  or  other  evidence  is  found  in 
respect  to  the  other  three.  A  bounty  of  £15,  or  $50  each,  was 
paid  to  the  nine  men  engaged.  They  enlisted  in  the  company  of 
Capt.  John  Mills,  in  a  small,  incomplete  regiment  commanded  by 
Col.  Daniel  Reynolds  of  Londonderry.  It  is  not  known  where  this 
regiment  was  employed,  or  that  in  fact  it  ever  left  the  State.  The 
war  at  this  time  was  substantially  at  an  end,  and  the  regiment  soon 
disbanded,  and  most  probably  for  these  reasons,  the  three  remaining 
Hollis  men  were  not  engaged.  The  names  of  the  nine  men  in 
Capt.  Mills'  company  were, 

Capt.  William  Brooks,  Abner  Keyes,  B.  Woods  Parker, 

Asa  Chamberlain,  Daniel  Merrill,  Thomas  Powell, 

Robert  Connick,  Jacob  Mooar,  Samuel  Read. 

Including  the  nine  three  months'  men  and  the  twenty 
"  Continentals,"  Hollis  had  this  year  in  the  service,  in  all,  but 
twenty-nine  soldiers,  a  number  much  less  than  that  of  any 
preceding  year. 

RUM    FOR    THE   ARMY. 

On  the  ist  of  October  of  this  year  a  town  meeting  was  called  to 
see  what  method  should  be  taken  to  procure  the  Rum  required  of 
the  town  for  the  army,  and  Robert  McGaw  was  chosen  agent  of 
fhe  town  to  provide  it.  The  town's  quota  in  gallons  is  not  stated 
in  the  record  but  at  a  subsequent  town  meeting,  in  December  of 
this  year  a  tax  of  £100,  or  $333  was  voted  to  pay  for  it,  and  the 

necessary  charges  of  the  town. 
(13) 


1 94  WAR    OF   THE    REVOLUTION.  [1782. 


CHAPTER   XVIII  . 

1782-83. — THE    LAST    YEAR    OF   THE    WAR.  —  NEW    PLAN    OF   GOV- 
ERNMENT.—  THE    NEW    HAMPSHIRE    RANGERS     IN     1782. LAST 

SOLDIER  OF  THE  HOLLIS  OJJOTA. — NUMBER  AND  NAMES  OF 
HOLLIS  SOLDIERS. —  SENTIMENTS  IN  RESPECT  TO  THE  RETURN 
OF  THE  TORIES. —  LAST  WAR  TAX. —  HOLLIS  RECORDS  AND1 
DOCUMENTS. —  NAMES  OF  THE  COMMITTEES  OF  SAFETY  AND 
COMMISSIONED  OFFICERS. — SOLDIERS  LOST  IN  THE  WAR. 

NEW    PLAN    OF   GOVERNMENT. 

In  the  month  of  June,  1781,  a  State  Convention  was  held  at  Con- 
cord to  agree  upon  and  propose  a  new  "  Plan"  or  system  of  State 
Government.  Hollis  had  no  delegate  in  this  convention,  the  town, 
in  the  month  of  May  previous,  having  voted  not  to  elect.  In  the 
month  of  September  next  afterwards  the  convention  reported  its 
4 'plan  "to  be  submitted  to  the  people  of  the  State  at  their  town 
meetings.  Early  in  January,  1782,  a  town  meeting  was  called  in 
Hollis  to  consider  this  plan,  at  which  a  committee  of  sixteen  was 
chosen  to  examine  it  and  make  report  of  their  sentiments  in  respec 
to  it  at  an  adjourned  meeting  on  the  i6th  of  January.  Upon  the 
coming  in  of  the  report  of  this  committee,  the  town  voted  as  follows  : 
"  ist,  to  accept  the  Bill  of  Rights  with  an  amendment  reported  bj 
the  Committee."  "  2d,  To  have  a  Governor  under  certain  restric- 
tions, but  that  the  power  of  the  Governor  set  forth  in  the  "Plan 
is  too  large."  "  3d,  That  the  present  mode  of  representation  be 
adopted  and  that  each  town  pay  its  own  representative." 

This  first  plan  reported  by  the  convention  was  not  accepted  by 
a  majority  of  the  people  of  the  State  and  the  convention  again  met 
and  made  a  second  report  in  September,  1782.  A  town  meeting 
was  called  on  the  i6th  of  December  of  this  year  to  consider  and 
act  upon  this  new  report.  The  extracts  from  the  record  of  the 
meeting  presented  below  exhibit  the  sentiments  and  doings  of  this 


1782.]  LAST   SOLDIER   OF   THE   HOLLIS   QUOTA.  195^ 

meeting.  "  Voted  to  reject  said  Plan  of  Government  as  it  stands, 
yeas,  10,  nays,  36."  "  It  then  being  submitted  to  the  town  what 
amendment  they  would  have  instead  of  a  Supreme  Head  to  be  styled 
a  '  Governor,'  Voted  that  we  would  choose  to  be  governed  similar 
to  what  we  now  are  by  a  council  and  assembly — the  President  of 
the  Council  to  be  the  Supreme  Head  of  the  State  and  in  the  recess, 
the  General  Court  to  have  a  Committee  of  Safety  to  assist  the 
President." 

It  is  said  that  this  new  plan  was  generally  approved  in  the  State 
but  was  not  fully  completed  at  the  time  news  of  peace  arrived.  The 
old  form  of  government,  having  expired  with  the  war,  it  was  re- 
vived by  the  votes  of  the  people  and  kept  in  force  for  one  year 
longer.  In  the  year  following  the  new  form  was  finished,  and  the 
name  of  "  Governor  "  being  changed  to  "  President"  it  was  printed 
a  third  time,  and  declared  to  be  the  civil  Constitution  of  the  State, 
and  continued  in  force  till  the  adoption  of  the  present  Constitution 
in  September  1792. 

NEW    HAMPSHIRE    RANGERS    IN    1782. 

Although  the  danger  was  not  supposed  to  be  great,  yet  as  a  mat- 
ter of  precaution,  companies  of  New  Hampshire  Rangers  were  kept 
in  service  on  the  northern  frontier,  known  as  the  "  Coos  Coun- 
try," in  the  summer  and  fall  of  1782,  to  protect  the  inhabitants  from 
threatened  raids  of  the  Indians  in  Canada.  On  the  4th  of  July 
of  this  year,  Andrew  Henderson  of  Hollis  enlisted  in  a  company  of 
these  Rangers,  (in  which  he  was  a  Sergeant)  commanded  by  Capt. 
Jonathan  Smith  of  Surry.  Also  on  the  6th  of  July  Jonas 
Willoughby  of  Hollis  volunteered  in  a  company  employed  in  the 
same  service  commanded  by  Capt.  Ebenezer  Webster  of  Salisbury,, 
the  father  of  Hon.  Daniel  Webster.  These  companies  were  dis- 
charged about  the  middle  of  November,  having  been  in  the  service 
about  four  and  one-half  months. 

THE    LAST    SOLDIER    OF    THE    HOLLIS    CONTINENTAL    OJJOTA. 

Previously  to  the  beginning  of  1782,  active  hostilities  between  the 
contending  armies  had  virtually  ended,  yet  the  Continental  Con- 
gress regarded  it  prudent  that  the  ranks  of  the  regular  army  should 
be  kept  filled.  About  the  middle  of  July  of  this  year,  upon  investiga- 
tion being  made  by  a  committee  of  the  town,  one  man  was  found 
to  be  wanting  in  the  Hollis  quota.  At  a  town  meeting  then  held 


196  NUMBER    AND    NAMES    OF    THE    HOLLIS    SOLDIERS.        [1782. 

the  town  "  voted  unanimously  that  one  man  more  be  raised  by  the 
town  to  serve  in  the  Continental  army  and  that  the  committee  for 
that  purpose  procure  him  at  discretion,  immediately."  It  appears 
from  the  regimental  returns  of  Col.  Nichols,  that  on  the  i5th  of 
July  1782,  Jabez  Youngman  had  enlisted  as  a  soldier  for  Hollis  for 
three  years,  thus  making  the  Continental  quota  of  the  town  com- 
plete. Youngman  was  the  last  soldier  who  volunteered  for  Hollis, 
and  the  only  one  called  for  this  year  for  the  regular  army.  His  name 
is  found  on  the  roll  of  the  ist  New  Hampshire  Continental  regi- 
ment, in  December,  1782,  and  he  is  supposed  to  have  been  in  the 
service  till  the  regiment  was  discharged,  the  next  year,  at  the  con- 
clusion of  peace.  The  town  paid  him  a  bounty  of  £60  or  $200, 
the  same  as  paid  to  the  Continental  soldiers  enlisted  for  three  years, 
in  1781. 

NUMBER    AND    NAMES    OF    THE    HOLLIS    SOLDIERS. 

It  will  be  found  on  examination  of  the  various  lists  and  rolls, 
still  existing,  of  the  Hollis  soldiers  in  the  Revolution,  that  most  of 
them  enlisted  more  than  once,  and  many  of  them  on  three  or  more 
different  occasions  ;  but  counting  each  name  but  once,  it  will  appear 
that  Hollis,  at  different  times  during  the  war,  as  nearly  as  can  now 
be  ascertained,  furnished,  with  but  few  exceptions,  from  its  own 
citizens, more  than  three  hundred  soldiers  who  for  a  longer  or  short- 
er time  were  in  the  military  service — a  number  but  little  less  than 
one-fourth  of  its  whole  population. 

Of  these  soldiers,  there  was  one  each  of  the  names  of  Abbot, 
Adams,  Ambrose,  Atwell,  Auld,  Blanchard,  Bonner,  Boyd,  Bruce, 
Burge,  Campbell,  Clark,  Cowen,  Danforth,  Davis,  Deane,  Dickey, 
Elliot,  Farmer,  Farnsworth,  Flagg,  Foster,  Gilson,  Godfrey,  Goss, 
Hazeltine,  Henderson,  Hill,  Honey,  Hopkins,  Hosley,  Kemp, 
Kendrick,  Keyes,  Kinney,  Lesley,  Lund,  McConnor,  McHendley, 
Messer,  Minot,  Patten,  Philbrick,  Platts,  Poor,  Powell,  Pratt, 
Richardson,  Rideout,  Rogers,  Runnells,  Russ,  Seaver,  Shed, 
Stevens,  Tenney,  Thurston,  Townsend,  Twiss,  Wallingford,  Wood 
and  Wyman. 

Two  each  of  the  names  of  Ames,  Brooks,  Carter,  Conant, 
Connick,  Fisk,  Grace,  Jaquith,  Johnson,  Leeman,  McDaniels, 
Mclntosh,  Mooar,  Noyes,  Pool,  Rolfe,  Sanderson,  Smith,  Spalding, 
Stearns,  Wilkins,  Willoughby  and  Woods. 

Of     the    names    of    Bowers,    Chamberlain,     Dow,     Eastman, 


1782.]  SENTIMENTS    IN    RESPECT    TO    THE    TORIES.  197 

Goodhue,  How,  •Merrill,  Parker,  Patch,  Phelps,  Read  and  Stiles, 
three  each. 

Four  each  of  the  names  of  Brown,  Conroy,  Hale,  Lawrence, 
Lovejoy,  Pierce,  Proctor,  Shattuck  and  Worcester.  Of  the  names 
of  Ball,  Colburn,  Emerson,  Nevins,  Taylor,  Wheat,  Wheeler, 
Wright  and  Youngman,  five  each.  Six  of  the  name  of  Powers. 
Of  the  names  of  Bailey,  Boynton,  Cumings,  Farley  and  French, 
seven  each.  Eight  of  the  name  of  Hobart,  nine  of  Jewett,  ten  of 
that  of  Hardy,  and  sixteen  of  the  name  of  Blood. 

Representative  to  the  General  Court.  At  a  special  town  meet- 
ing held  on  the  28th  of  October  of  this  year  Richard  Cutts  Shannon 
was  elected  to  represent  the  town  in  the  General  Court  to  be  holden 
at  Portsmouth  in  December  1782. 

1783.  Annual  Town  Meeting.  Increase  of  the  State  Tax. 
At  the  annual  March  meeting  of  this  year  the  town  "  Voted  to 
enlarge  the  State  tax  £200  to  defray  the  necessary  charges  of  the 
war,  and  chose  Dea.  Daniel  Emerson,  Noah  Worcester,  Esq., 
Capt.  Daniel  Kendrick  and  Ephraim  Burge  a  committee  to  assist 
the  Selectmen  in  settling  with  the  Continental  soldiers." 

THE    SENTIMENTS    OF    THE    PEOPLE    OF    HOLLIS    IN    RESPECT    TO 
THE    TORIES. 

As  stated  in  the  early  part  of  this  narrative,  four  of  the  citizens 
of  Hollis  were  known  as  loyalists  or  tories,  one  of  whom  for  a  time 
was  imprisoned  for  disloyalty.  The  remaining  three  left  the  coun- 
try early  in  the  war,  and  their  names  were  included  in  the  act  of 
confiscation,  passed  in  1778?  by  the  New  Hampshire  General 
Court,  and  they,  with  many  others,  were  forbidden  to  return  to  the 
country  under  the  penalty  of  death. 

After  the  end  of  the  war,  the  British  Commissioners,  in  their 
negotiations  for  peace,  were  persistent  in  their  efforts  to  provide  for 
the  return  of  the  banished  adherents  of  the  crown,  and  the  restora- 
tion of -their  confiscated  estates;  and  this  subject  was  widely  and 
warmly  discussed  by  the  American  press  of  the  time,  and  in  the 
primary  assemblies  of  the  people.  A  special  town  meeting  in 
Hollis  was  called  to  consider  this  subject  in  the  spring  of  1783, 
"and  to  see  if  the  Town  would  give  their  Representative  any 
Instructions  in  respect  to  the  Absentees  from  this  State  and  their 
returning."  As  will  appear  from  the  following  extract,  which  we 
copy  from  the  record  of  that  meeting,  the  sentiments  of  the  people 


198  SENTIMENTS    IN    RESPECT    TO    THE    TORIES.  [I7^3' 

• 

of  the  town  upon  this  question  found  expression  in  language  more 
vigorous  and  emphatic  than  forgetful  or  forgiving,  as  follows  : 

"  The  minds  of  the  people  being  tried  in  respect  to  the  Returning 
of  those  Miserable  Wretches  under  the  name  of  Tories,  Absentee! 
or  Conspirators," 

u  Voted  unanimously  that  they  shall  not  be  allowed  to  return  or 
regain  their  forfeited  Possessions." 

"  Voted  that  a  Committee  be  chosen  to  give  the  Representative 
of  this  Town  particular  Instructions  which  may  convey  to  him  the 
unanimous  sentiments  of  the  people  in  respect  to  the  Absentees 
above  mentioned." 

"Voted  that  Col.  John  Hale,  Noah  Worcester,  Esq.,  Master 
Cumings,  Dea.  Boynton,  Captains  Dow,  Goss  and  Kendrick  be  a 
Committee  to  give  the  Instructions  above  mentioned." 

Representative  to  the  General  Court.  On  the  26th  of  Decem- 
ber of  this  year  Dea.  Daniel  Emerson  was  chosen  Representative  to 
the  General  Court  to  be  held  at  Concord  in  June. 

Annual  Town  Meeting  March  /,  1784.  At  the  annual  town  meet- 
ing of  this  year  Dea.  Daniel  Emerson  was  again  chosen  Representa- 
tive to  the  General  Court  to  meet  at  Concord  in  June.  At  the  same 
meeting  the  town  "  Voted  to  raise  £210  to  defray  the  charges  of 
four  Continental  soldiers,  viz.,  Elijah  Clark,  John  Godfrey,  Jacob 
Hobart  and  Jabez  Youngman,  and  also  that  the  selectmen  should 
assist  the  Continental  soldiers  in  preferring  a  petition  to  the  General 
Court  for  a  redress  of  Grievances  in  respect  to  their  wages." 

THE    LAST     TOWN     MEETING     IN     RESPECT     TO     THE     CONTINENTAL 
SOLDIERS,    MAY    2,    1785. 

"Voted  that  Noah  Worcester  and  Daniel  Emerson,  Esqrs.,  and 
Mr.  William  Cumings  be  a  Committee  to  look  into  matters 
relating  to  the  Continental  soldiers  and  see  how  matters  stan4  in 
relation  to  making  them  or  any  of  them  a  consideration  for  their 
service?,  and  report  at  a  future  meeting." 

At  a  special  town  meeting  held  afterwards  on  the  I5th  of  Septem- 
ber this  committee  reported  as  follows :  "  That  the  Town  in 
Justice  ought  to  give  free  gratis to  Thomas  Pratt,  David  Sanderson, 
Joel  Proctor,  John  Youngman  and  Thomas-  Wheat  £18  to  each  of 
them,  for  their  voluntary  service  in  the  Continental  Army."  This 
report  was  accepted  by  the  town  and  a  tax  for  the  amount  assessed 
at  the  same  meeting.  Such  was  the  honorable  and  characteristic 
close  of  the  Hollis  war  meetings. 


1785.]  THE   HOLLIS    RECORDS   AND    DOCUMENTS.  199 

THE    HOLLIS   RECORDS   AND    REVOLUTIONARY    DOCUMENTS. 

In  the  foregoing  narrative  it  has  been  my  aim  to  gather  as  far  as 
practicable,  from  authentic  sources,  and  to  present  in  as  little  space 
as  was  consistent  with  perspicuity  and  historical  accuracy,  the 
annual  doings  of  the  people  of  Hollis  in  the  seven  years'  war  of  the 
Revolution,  and  also  somewhat  of  the  sentiments  and  spirit  which 
animated  their  efforts  in  the  struggle  for  National  Independence. 
Notwithstanding  all  the  care  I  have  used  in  my  researches,  it  may 
be  that  some  errors  have  escaped  me. 

In  view  of  the  lapse  of  one  hundred  years  since  our  Revolution, 
and  the  long  time  since  the  last  of  the  actors  in  its  story  have 
passed  away,  it  would  be  passing  strange  if  some  mistakes  have  not 
unwittingly  found  their  way  into  this  narrative,  which,  if  detected, 
I  hope  may  be  pardoned  and  corrected.  But  in  the  hope  of  avoid- 
ing important  errors,  I  have  in  the  main  adhered  closely  to  the 
Revolutionary  documents  and  records  of  the  State  and  town. 

These  records  and  documents  of  Hollis  which  I  have  so  freely 
used  and  copied,  and  which  so  fully  tell  of  the  doings  and  purposes 
of  the  men  who  made  them,  I  cannot  but  look  upon  as  a  precious 
and  sacred  legacy  to  their  posterity,  and  to  the  present  and  future 
inhabitants  of  the  town.  We  find  in  them  all  no  sentiment  of  our 
ancestors  which  we  would  forget,  no  recorded  act  which  does  not 
do  honor  to  their  memories.  The  story  as  here  told  to  some  who 
may  read  it  may  seem  needlessly  prolix,  and  in  some  of  its  details 
tedious,  still  I  am  conscious  that  very  many  matters  have  been 
omitted,  highly  creditable  to  the  actors  in  them,  which  interested 
me  to  know,  and  which  if  told  would  doubtless  interest  others  as 
well.  Yet  I  trust  that  in  this  imperfect  narrative  enough  has  been 
said,  to  satisfy  all  who  have  curiosity  in  such  inquiries,  that  upon  all 
occasions,  from  the  beginning  of  the  war  to  its  end,  our  ancestors  of 
Hollis  did  what  at  the  time  they  believed  to  be  their  duty  to  their 
country,  their  own  generation,  and  to  their  posterity,  intelligently, 
promptly,  and  patriotically,  with  unfaltering  courage,  and  the  hope- 
ful assurance  of  final  success. 

In  i774?  when  that  dark  and  portentous  war  cloud  was  still  in 
the  horizon,  undismayed  by  its  threatening,  they  proclaimed  in  the 
face  of  it  and  inscribed  upon  their  public  records,  "  We  will  en- 
deavor at  all  times  to  maintain  our  liberties  and  privileges,  both 
civil  and  sacred,  at  the  risk  of  our  lives  and  fortunes"  When 
a  few  months  later  that  cloud  first  burst  at  Lexington,  the  Hollis 
minute  men  with  full  ranks  hastened  to  the  scene  of  conflict. 


ZOO  HOLLIS   RECORDS    AND    DOCUMENTS.  C1?^- 

On  the  night  of  the  i6th  of  June  the  Hollis  company,  under  the 
eye  of  the  gallant  Prescott,  without  sleep  or  food,  were  busy  with 
their  spades  and  pickaxes  upon  the  earthworks  at  Bunker  Hill. 
They  were  a  part  of  that  force,  worn  and  weary  with  the  work  of 
the  night,  of  whom  it  was  curtly  said  by  their  brave  Colonel,  on  the 
morning  of  the  battle,  in  answer  to  a  proposal  to  relieve  them,  -ind 
call  fresh  troops  to  the  defence  of  the  works  they  had  built — 
u  The  men  who  built  this  fort  will  best  defend  it" 

In  the  fall  after  that  battle,  when  the  ranks  of  the  army  at 
Cambridge  were  thinned  and  weakened  by  the  base  desertion  of  the 
Connecticut  regiments,  another  company,  mainly  of  Hollis  volun- 
teers, with  the  New  Hampshire  reinforcements,  promptly  marched 
to  the  seat  of  war  to  supply  the  places  of  the  mutineers. 

In  1776  we  find  Hollis  soldiers  with  the  army  in  Canada,  at 
Ticonderoga,  in  the  garrisons  at  Portsmouth,  at  White  Plains,  and 
sharing  in  the  bloody  campaigns  in  New  Jersey. 

The  next  year,  when  Gen.  Burgoyne  was  on  his  march  from 
Canada  to  Ticonderoga,  a  company  of  fifty  or  more  Hollis  minute 
men  is  seen  hastening  to  its  defence.  The  same  Summer,  after  the 
fall  of  that  fortress,  we  find  a  company,  chiefly  of  Hollis  soldiers, 
under  the  gallant  Stark  at  the  decisive  battle  and  brilliant  victory 
at  Bennington.  In  the  hard  winter  of  1777-8,  when  their  Conti- 
nental soldiers  were  in  the  ill-supplied  camp  at  Valley  Forge,  some 
of  them  barefoot  and  in  rags,  the  nimble  fingers  of  their  mothers 
and  sisters  at  home  are  seen  busy  for  their  relief. 

In  the  summer  of  1778,  when  Rhode  Island  was  threatened  with 
invasion,  a  company  of  forty-three  mounted  Hollis  soldiers  marched 
to  aid  in  the  defence.  When  in  1780  West  Point  was  endangered 
by  the  base  treason  of  Gen.  Arnold,  we  have  seen  how  readily  our 
ancestors  responded  to  the  call  for  volunteers.  And  in  1782,  after 
the  last  battle  of  the  war  had  been  fought,  when  the  Continental 
Congress  thought  it  prudent  to  keep  the  ranks  of  the  regular  army 
filled,  this  last  call  was  at  once  cheerfully  and  promptly  met. 

If  we  follow  the  campaigns  of  the  regular  army  we  shall  find  the 
Hollis  Continental  quota  in  the  New  Hampshire  regiments  with 
Washington  at  the  battles  of  Trenton,  Princeton,  Monmouth  and 
Germantown  ;  with  Gen.  Gates  at  Stillwater  and  Saratoga  ;  with 
Gen.  Sullivan  in  the  war  against  the  Six  Nations,  and  again  with 
Washington  at  the  final  battles  and  surrender  at  Yorktown.  The 
New  Hampshire  Continental  regiments  known  as  the  "  Hampshire 
Boys"  from  the  beginning  to  end  of  the  war,  were  noted  for  their 


1785.] 


HOLLIS    COMMITTEE   OF   SAFETY. 


201 


fidelity  to  duty,  their  good  conduct  and  intrepidity,  and  their 
commanders,  the  gallant  Cilley,  Poor  and  Scammell,  could  at  all 
times  rightfully  say  with  the  Trojan  Hector,  in  face  of  the  dangers 
of  battle, 

"  Where  heroes  war  the  foremost  place  we  claim, 
The  first  in  danger  as  the  first  in  fame." 

HOLLIS    COMMITTEE    OF   SAFETY   IN    1776. 


Capt.  Reuben  Dow, 
Capt.  Noah  Worcester, 
Ensign  Stephen  Ames, 

1777. 

Noah  Worcester, 
Stephen  Ames, 
Daniel  Kendrick, 
Oliver  Lawrence, 
Jacob  Jewett, 


Capt.  Daniel  Kendrick, 
Jacob  Jewett, 

1778. 

Noah  Worcester, 
Dea.  Enoch  Noyes. 
Oliver  Lawrence, 
Nehemiah  Woods, 
Edward  Taylor, 


Oliver  Lawrence, 
Samuel  Chamberlain. 


1779. 

Noah  Worcester, 
Stephen  Ames, 
Oliver  Lawrence, 
Edward  Taylor, 
Jacob  Jewett. 


HOLLIS    COMMISSIONED   OFFICERS. 

Samuel  Hobart,  Colonel  of  2nd  N.  H.  regiment  of  minute  men,  and  paymaster  of  N.  H.  troops 
in  me. 


in  1775 

Regimental  Surgeons, 

Assistant  Surgeon, 

Captains. 
Reuben  Dow, 
Daniel  Emerson,  Jun., 
John  Goss, 
Noah  Worcester. 


John  Hale, 
Jonathan  Pool. 

First  Lieutenants. 
Caleb  Farley, 
Ebenezer  Jewett, 
Robert  Seaver, 
David  Wallingford. 


Petei  Emerson. 

Second  Lieutenants. 
William  Brooks, 
John  Cumings, 
Samuel  Leeman,  Jun. 


HOLLIS    SOLDIERS    KILLED     OR   DIED    IN   THE   ARMY   OF   DISEASE    OR 


James    Fisk, 
Jeremiah  Shattuck, 
Nathan  Blood, 
Jacob  Boynton, 
Thomas  Colburn, 
Isaac  Hobart, 
Phineas  Nevins, 
Peter  Poor, 
Thomas  Wheat, 
Ebenezer  Youngman, 
Caleb  Eastman, 
Josiah  Blood, 
Minot  Farmer, 
William  Nevins, 
Ezra  Proctor, 
Isaac  Shattuck, 
Samuel  Leeman,  Jun., 
Ebenzer  Cumings, 
Lebbeus  Wheeler, 
John  Conroy, 
Daniel  Blood, 
Francis  G.  Powers, 


WOUNDS. 

died  at  Cambridge,    May   29,    1775. 

"  "  May  29,    1775. 

killed  at  Bunker  Hill,   June  17, .  1775. 


II      II 

,'!     !!    !! 

" 

„     „ 



I, 

••    j9 

„ 

died 

Sept. 

1776 

ii 

May 

" 

killed 
died 


killed 


May  15 

Oct.  1777, 

1778, 

July  10        " 
Sept. 
Nov.  28       " 

1780 


2O2  HOLLIS    SOLDIERS    KILLED    OR    DIED.  [.17&5' 

The  number  of  names  in  the  list  of  deaths,  is  twenty-two.  The 
Rev.  Grant  Powers,  in  his  Centennial  Address,  states  the  loss  of 
Hollis  in  the  war,  in  killed  or  by  disease,  at  thirty.  He  probably 
included  in  that  number  eight  persons  who  in  1779  died  in  Hollis 
of  the  small  pox,  which  he  tells  us  was  supposed  to  have  been 
communicated  by  the  enemy.  The  eight  who  died  of  that  disease, 
added  to  the  twenty-two,  would  make  the  Hollis  loss  of  thirty  as  Mr. 
Powers  states  it. 

The  Hollis  soldiers  who  received  pensions  from  the  Government, 
on  account  of  permanent  disabilities  suffered  in  the  service,  either 
from  wounds  or  disease,  were  Capt.  Reuben  Dow,  Ensign  William 
Wood,  Thomas  Pratt,  (all  wounded  at  Bunker  Hill)  Samuel  Boyd 
and  Stephen  Richardson. 


1782.] 


NAMES    OF    HOLLIS    SOLDIERS. 


203 


CHAPTER    XIX. 


ALPHABETICAL  LIST  OF  HOLLIS  SOLDIERS,  SHOWING  IN  WHAT 
YEARS  THEY  ENLISTED  WHEN  AND  HOW  LONG  THEY  WERE  IN 
THE  SERVICE. 

("  J775  L"  denotes  enlisted,  April  19, I775ifor  Lexington  and 
Cambridge  ;  "  Cam."  Cambridge;  "  B.  H."  at  the  Battle  of 
Bunker  Hill;  "  C.  A."  Continental  Army;  "  Port."  in 
Garrison  at  Portsmouth,  N.  H. ;  "  Wh.  P."  at  White  Plains  ; 
"  Ti."  Ticonderoga ;  "1777  Al.  T."  Ticonderoga  Alarm, 
yune,  1777;  "Ben"  in  the  company  of  Capt.  Goss,  at  Ben- 
nington,  July  1777 ;  "  W.  Pt.,"  West  Point;  "  R.  I.,"  Rhode 
Island ;  "  G.  R."  names  in  the  Return  of  Capt.  Goss,  p.  167.) 


Abbot,  Benjamin,  '75,  L.,  '78,  R.  I.,  22  d. 
Adams,  William,  '75,  Cam.,  B.  H.,  8  in. 
Ambrose,  Samuel,  '75,  Cam.,  3  mon. 
Ames,  David,  '75,  Cam.,  B.  H.,  8  m.,  '76,  C. 

A.  i  y,  '77  C.  A.,  3  y. 
Ames,  Jonathan,  '75,  L.,  '77  Al.  T. 
Atwell,  John,  '75,  L.,  '76,  Port.,  3  m.,   '78,  R. 

I.,  22  d. 

Auld,  John,  '78,  C.  A.,  2  y. 
Bailey,  Andrew,   75,  'Cam.,  B.  H.,  8  m.,  '76, 

Port.  3  m.,  '77,  C.  A.,  8  m.  '78,  R.  I.,  22  d. 
Bailey,  Daniel,  '75,  Cam.  3  m.,  '77,  Al.  T.,  '78, 

R.  I.,  aa  d.,  '79,  R.  I.,  5  m. 
Bailey,  Daniel,  Jun.,  '76,  Wh.  P.  5  m. 
Bailey,  Job,  '75,  Cam.  B.  H.,  8  m. 
Bailey,  Joseph,  '75,  L. 

Bailey,  Joel.,  '75,  Cam.,  8  m.,  '80,  W.  Pt.,  3  m. 
Ball,  Ebenezer,  '75,  Cam.,  B.  H.,  8  m.,  "76, 

Port,  and  N.  Y.,  12  m. 
Ball,  Eleazer,  '75,  Cam.  3  m.,  '77,  Al.  T. 
Ball,  John,  '76,  Ti.,  6  m.,  '77  C.  A.,  8  m. 
Ball,  Nathaniel,  Jun.,  '75,  L. 
Ball,  William,  '77,  Al.  T. 
Rlanchard,  Joshua,  '75,  Cam.  3  m. 
Blood,  Abel,  '80,  C.  A.,  6  m. 
Blood,  Daniel,  '75,  Cam.  3  m.,  '77,  C.  A.,  3  y. 
Blood,  Daniel,  2  d,  '75,  L.,  '76,  Ti.,  6  m. 


Blood,  Elnathan,  '76,  Ti.,  G.  R. 

Blood,  Ephraim,  '75,  Cam.  B.  H.,8  mo. 

Blood,  Francis,  "75,  Cam.  B.  H.,  8  m. 

Blood,  Josiah,  '76,  Ti.,  6  m. 

Blood,  Josiah,  Jun.,   '77,  Al.  T.,  '80  W.   Pt., 

3m. 

Blood,  Lemuel,  '80,  C.  A.,  6  m. 
Blood,  Nathan,  '75,  L.,  '75,  Cam.  B.  H.,  8  m. 
Blood,  Nathaniel,  '78,  R.  I.,  22d.,  '80,  C.  A. 

6  m. 

Blood,  Nathaniel,  Jun.,  '78,  R.  I.,  22  d. 
Blood,  Jonas,  '75,  L. 
Blood,   Reuben,  '77,  Al.  T.,  '78,  C.  A.,  2  y., 

'80,  C.  A.,  6  m. 
Blood,  Simeon,  '77,  Ben.,  '78,  C.  A.,  2  y.,  '80, 

N.  Frontier,  6  m. 
Blood,  Timothy,  '76,  Wh.  P.,  5  mo.,  '78,  R.  I. 

22  d. 

Bonner,  John,  '$1,  C.  A.,  3  y. 

Bowers,  Henry,  '77,  Ben. 

Bowers,  Jerathmael,  '79,  C.  A.,  i  j. 

Bowers,  Oliver,  '77,  Al.  T. 

Boyd,  Samuel,  '78,  C.  A.,  2  y.,  '80,  C.  A.  3  y. 

Boynton,  Benjamin,  "75,  L.,  '76,  Wh.  P.,  5  m. 

Boynton,  Elias,  '75,  Cam.  B.  H.,  8  m.,  '76,  C. 

A.,  i  y.,  '78,  R.  I.,  22  d. 
Boynton,  Isaac,  '77,  C.  A.  3  y. 


2O4 


NAMES    OF    HOLLIS    SOLDIERS. 


[1782. 


Boynton,  Jacob,  '75,  Cam.  B.  H.,  8  m. 
Boynton,  Joel,  '75,  Cam.  3  m.,  '76,  Wh.  P.,  Sm 
Boynton,  John,  3  d.,  '77,  C.  A.,  8  m. 
Boynton,  Joshua,   '75,  Cam.  B.  H.,  8  m., '77, 

Al.  T. 

Brooks,  John,  '77,  C.  A.,  8  m. 
Brooks,  Lt.  William,  '78,  R.  I.,  22  d.,  '81,  3  m. 
Brown,  Abel,  '75,  Cam.  B.  H.,  8  m. 
Brown,  William,  '76,  Ti.,  G.  R. 
Brown,  Eliphalet,  '75,  Cam.  3  m.,  '77,  Al.  Ti., 

'77,  Ben. 

Brown,  Joseph,  '76,  N.  Y.,  2  m. 
Bruce,  Josiah,  '75,  Cam.  8  m. 
Surge,  Ephraim,  '77,  Al.  T. 
Campbell,  John,  '75,   Cam.  B.  H.,  8  m.,  '77, 

Ben. 
Carter,  Edward,  '76,  Wh.  P.  5  m.,  '77,  C.  A. 

ay- 
Carter,  Thomas,  '78,  R.  I.,  22  d. 
Chamberlain,  Asa,  '81,  3  m. 
Chamberlain,  Samuel,  '76,  N.  Y.,  2  m. 
Chamberlain,  Wilder,  '75,  Cam.  B.  H.,  8  m. 
Clark,  Elijah,  '81,  C.  A.,  3  y. 
Colburn,  Benj.,  '77,  Al.  T.,  '78,  R.  I.,  22  d. 
Colburn,  James,   "75,   Cam.,  3   m.,   '77,  C.  A. 

8m. 
Colburn,  Nathan,  '75,  L.,  '75,  Cam.  8m.,  '76, 

Wh.  P.,  5  m. 

Colburn,  Robt.,  '75,  Cam.  3  m. 
Colburn,  Thomas,   '75,   L.,  '75,   Cam.  B.  H., 

8  m. 
Conant,  Abel,  '75,  Cam.  B.  H.,  8  m.,  '76,  C. 

A.,  i  y.,  '78.  R.  I.,  22  d. 

Conant  Josiah,  '75,  Cam.  3  m.,  '78,  R.  I.,  22  d. 
Connick,  Robt.,  '81,  3  m. 
Connick   William,  '76,  Wh.  P.,  5  m.,  '77,  C. 

A.,  3  y.,  "80,  C.  A.,  6  m. 
Cowen,  William,  '78,  C.  A.,  2  y. 
Cumings,  Benj.,  '75,  L.,  '75,  Cam.  B.  H.  S  m., 

'76,  C.  A.,  i  y. 

Conroy,  John,  '75,  Cam.  3  m.,  '80,  W.  Pt.,  3m. 
Conroy,  John,  Jun.,  '78,  C.  A.  2  y. 
Conroy,  Samuel,  '75,  L.,  "75,  Cam.  B.  H.,  8  m. 
Conroy,  Stephen,  '76,  C.  A.,  i  y.,  '78,  C.  A.,  2 

y.,  '80,  C.  A.,  6  m. 
Cumings,  Ebenezer,  '77,  C.  A.,  3  y. 
Cumings,  En.  John,  '75,  L.,  '75,  Cam.,  B.  H. 

8  m. 

Cumings,  Larnard,'76,  Port,  and  N.  Y.,  12  m. 
Cumings,  Peter,  '75,  Cam.  B.  H.,  8  m. 
Cumings,  Philip,  '75,  Cam.  B.  H.,  8  m. 
Cumings,  Wm.,  '76,  N.  Y.,  2  m..,  '77,  Al.  T. 
Danforth,  Jacob,  '76,  C.  A.,  i  y.,  '77,  C.  A.,  3 

y.,  '80,  C.  A.,  6  m. 
Davis,  Joshua,  '76,  Ti.  6  m. 
Deane,  Edward,  '81,  C.  A.  3  y. 
Dickey,  James,  '75,  L.,  '77,  Al.  T. 
Dow,  Capt.  Reuben,  '75,  L.,  '75,  Cam.  B.  H., 

8  mo.,  '78,  R.  I.,  22  d. 


Dow,  Evan,  '75,  Cam.  B.  H.,  8  m,.  '78,  R.  I.. 

22  d. 

Dow,  Stephen,-"77,  Al.  T.,  '80,  W.  Pt.,  3  m. 
Eastman,  Amos,  '75,  L.,  '76,  N.  Y.,  2  m. 
Eastman,  Caleb,  '75,  Cam.  B.  H.,8  m. 
Eastman,  Jonathan,  '75,  L. 
Elliot,  William,  '75,  Cam.  B.  H.,  8  m.,  '76,  C. 

A.,  :  y. 
Emerson,  Capt.  Daniel,  '76,  Ti.   6  m.,  '77, 

Al.  T.,  '78,  R.  L,  22  d.,  '79,  R.  I.,  5  m. 
Emerson,  Dr.  Peter,   '79,   R.   I.,  5   m.,  Reg. 

Surg. 

Emerson,  Ralph,  '76,  Ti.,  6  m.,  '77,  C.  A.,  3y.. 
Emerson,  Samuel,  '79,  R.  I.,  5  m. 
Emerson,  Thomas,  '76,  Ti.,  6  m. 
Farley,  Benj.,  '75,  L.,  '75,  Cam.  3  m. 
Farley,  Benj.,  Jun.,  '76,  Ti.,  6  m. 
Farley,  Lt.  Caleb,  '76,  Port,  and  N.  Y.,  12  m., 

'78  R.  I.,  22  d. 
Farley,   Christopher,   '76,   Port,   and  N.  Y., 

12  m. 

Farley,  Ebenezer,  '75,  L.,  '76,  N.  Y.,  2  m. 
Farley,  Joseph,  '75,  Cam.,  3  m. 
Farley,  Stephen,  '75,  Cam.,  3  m. 
Farmer,  Minot,  "75,  L.,  '75,  Cam.,  B.  H.  8  m. 

'76,  C.  A.,  i  y. 
Farnsworth,  David,  '75,  L.,   '75,  Cam.  B.  H., 

8m. 

Fisk,  James,  '75,  L.,  '75,  Cam.  8  m. 
Fisk,  Josiah,  '75,  Cam.  B.  H.,  8  m. 
Flagg,  Jonas,  '78,  R.  I.,  22  d.,  '80;  W.Pt.,3  m. 
Foster,  Simeon,  '79,  C.  A.,  i  y. 
French,  David,  '76,  Port,  and  N.  Y.,  12  m. 
French,  Isaac,  '75,  Cam.  3  m.,  '76,  Wh.  P.  3m. 
French,  Jonathan,  '77,  Ben.,  '78,  R.  I.,  22  d. 
French,  Joseph,  '75,  Cam.,  8  m. 
French,  Nehemiah,  '75,  Cam.,  8  m.,  '77,  Al.  T. 
French,  Timothy,  '76,  N.  Y.,  2  m. 
French,  William,  '75,  L. 
Gilson,  Ebenezer,  "75,  L.,  "75,  Cam.,  3  m. 
Godfrey,  John,  '77,  C.  A.,  3  y.,  '81,  C.  A.  3  y. 
Goodhue,  Samuel,  '77,  Port,  i  m. 
Goodhue,  John,  '79,  Port.  6  m. 
Goodhue,  Stephen,  '76,  Wh.  P.,  5  m.  '78  R.  I., 

22  d. 
Goss,  Capt.  John,  '75  L.,  '7S,Cam.,B.  H.,  8  m., 

'77,  Ben. 

Grace,  Benjamin  W.,  '81,  C.  A.,  3y. 
Grace,  Manuel,  '75,  L. 

Hale,  Dr.  John,  Reg.  Surgeon  from  '76  to  "80. 
Hale,  John,  Jua.,   '76,  N.  Y.,  2  m.,  '78,  R.  I., 

22  d. 

Hale,  David,  '78,  R.  I.,  22  d. 

Hale,  William,  '77,  C.  A.,  3  y. 

Hardy,  Aaron,  '75,  L. 

Hardy,  Jesse,  '80,  W.  Pt.,  3  m. 

Hardy,  Lemuel,  '77,  Al.  T.,  'So,  W.  Pt.*  3  m. 

Hardy,  Joseph,  '79,  Port.,  6  m. 

Hardy,  Nehemiah,  '75,  Cam.  3  m. 


1782.1 


NAMES   OF   HOLLIS    SOLDIERS.  ZO5 


Hardy,  Noah,  '7^,  Al.  T.,  '78,  R.  I.,  22  d.  Lesley,  Jonas,  '76,  Wh.  P.,  5  m. 

Hardy,  Phineas,  '76,  Port.  3  m.  Lovejoy,  Abel,  '80,  C.  A.  6  m. 

Hardy,  Phineas,  Jun.,  '75,  Cam.,  B.  H.,  8  m.,    Lovejoy,  Asa,   '75,  Cam.,  3  m.,  '76,  Wh.,  P.  5 

'76,  Port.,  3  m.  m.,  '77,  C.  A.,  3  y. 

Hardy,  Silas,  '79,  Port.,  6  m.  Lovejoy,  Daniel,  '76,  Ti.,  G.  R. 

Hardy,  Thomas,  '75,  Cam.,  B.  H.,  8  m.,  '76,    Lovejoy,  Jonathan,  Jun., '75,  Cam.,  3  m. 

C.  A.,  i  y.  Lund,  Ephraim,  '75,  Cam.,  3  m. 

Henderson,  Andrew,  '8a,  N.  Frontier,  6  m.         McConnor,  James,  '75,  Cam.,  B.  H.,  8  m. 

Hill,  Samuel,  '75,  Cam.,  B.  H.,  8  m.  '76,  Ti.,  6,  McDaniels,  James,  '77,  Ben. 
m.  '77,  C.  A.,  3  y.  McDaniels,  Randall,  '75,  L. 

Hobart,  Isaac,  '75,  Cam.  B.  H.,  8  m.  McHendley,  John,  '81,  C.  A.,  3y. 
Hobart,  Isaac,  ad.,  '81,  C.  A.,  3  y.  Melntosh,  Archibald,  '77,  Ben. 

Hobart,  Jacob,  '81,  C.  A.,  3  y.  Mclntosh,  James,  '77,  Cam.,  B.  H.,  S  m. 

Hobart,  John,  '77,  Al.  T.,  '79,  R.  I.,  6  m.      '  Merrill,  Daniel,  '76,  Ti.,  G.  R. 

Hobart,  Jonathan,  '75,  Cam.,  3  m.,  '76,  N.  Y.,  Merrill,  Daniel,  Jun.,  '78,  R.  I.,  33  d.  '80,  W. 

am.     .  Pt.,  3  m., '81,  301. 

Hobart,  Joshua,  '75,  Cam.,  3  m.,  '77,  Ben.,  '78,     Merrill,  Samuel,  '77,  Al.  T.,  '77,  Ben.,  '78,  R.  I. 

R.  I.,  22  d.  32  d. 

Hobart,  Col.  Samuel,  '75,  Paymaster.  Messer,  Benjamin,  '77,  Ben. 

Hobart,  Solomon,  '77,  Al.  T.,  '78,  R.  I.,  22  d.  Minot,  Joseph,  '75,  L. 

Honey,  Parmeter,  '75,  Cam.,  3  m.  Mooar,  Daniel,  '77  Ben. 

Hopkins,  Richard,  '76,  Port.,  and  N.  Y.,  12  m.  Mooar,  Jacob,  '77,  Ben.,  '81, 3  m. 
Hosley,  Samuel,  '75,  Cam.,  B.  H.,  8  m.  Nevins,  Benjamin,  '75,  L.,  '77,  Ben. 

How,  Ephraim,  '75,  Cam.  B.H. ,  8  m.,  '77  Ben.  Nevins,  John,  '77,  Ben. 

How,  John,  "76,  Ti.,  ^m.,  '78,  R.  I.,  22  d.  Nevins,  Joseph,  '75,  L.,  '77,  Al.  T. 

How,  Joseph,  '75,  Cam.,  3  m.  Nevins,  Phineas,  '75,  Cam.,  B.  H.,  8  ra. 

Jaquith,  Ebenezer,  '75,  Cam.,  3  m.  Nevins,  William, '75,  L.,  '75,  Cam.,  B.  H.,  8  m. 
Jaquith,  Thomas,  '75,  Cam.,  3  m.  '76,  C.  A.,  i  y. 

Jewett, Lieut.  Ebenezer,  '77,  ALT.,  '80,  W.  Pt.,  Noyes,  Elijah,  '75,  Cam.,  3m.,  '76, Ti.,  6m.,  '77 

3  m.  Al.  T.,  '78,  R.  I.,  22  d. 

Jewett,  Jacob,  '75,  Cam.,  3  m.  Noyes,  Enoch,  Jun.,  '76,  Ti.,  6  m. 

Jewett,  Jacob,  3d,  '78,  R.  I.,  aa  d.,  '80,  W.  Pt.,  Parker,  Benjamin  W.,  »8i,  3  m. 

3  m.  Parker,  Jonathan,  '76,  C.  A.,  i  y.,  '77,  C.  A.,  8 
Jewett,  James,  '76,  Ti.,  G.  R.  m.,  '78,  R.  L,  22  d. 

Jewett,  Jonathan,  '78,  R.  I.,  6  m.  Parker,  Stephen,  '80,  W.  Pt.,  3  m.,  '81,  C.  A.,  3  y. 

Jewett,  Dea.  Nathaniel,  '76,  Ti.,  G.  R.  Patch,  David,  '76,  C.  A.,  i  y. 

Jewett,  Noah,  '76,  Wh.  P.,  5  m.  Patch,  Daniel,  '75,  Cam.,  3  m. 

Jewett,  Samuel,  '75,  Cam.,  B.  H.,  8  m.  Patch,  Thomas,  '75,  L.,  '76  Ti.,  6  m. 

Jewett,  Stephen,  Jun.,   '75,   Cam.,   3    m.,   "76,  Patten,  Nathaniel, '75,  Cam.,   B.  H.,8  m., '76, 

Wh.  P.,  5  m.  Ti.,  6  m.,  '77,  C.  A.,  3  y.,  *8o,  C.  A.,  6  m. 

Johnson,  Edward,  '75,  L.  Phelps,  John,  '76,  Ti.,  G.  R. 

Johnson,  Samuel,  '76,  N.  Y.,  a  m.  Phelps,  Nathan,  '75,  L.,  '75,  Cam.,  3  m. 

Kemp,  Thomas,  '75,  Cam.,  B.  H.,  8  m.,  '76,  Phelps,  Samuel,  '76,  Ti.,  6  m. 

Wh.  P.,  $  m.,  '77  Ben.  Philbrick,  John,  '75,  L. 

Kendrick,  Capt.  Daniel,  '78,  R.  I.,  aa  d.  Pierce,  Ephraim,  '75,  L.,  '76,  Wh.  P.,  5  m.,  '77 
Keyes,  Abner,   '75,  Cam.,  8  m.,  '76,  Port,  and  Al.  T.,  '77,  Ben.,  '79,  C.  A.,  ly. 

N.  Y.,  12  m.    "Si,  3  m.  Pierce, Nehemiah,  '75,  Cam.,  B.  H.,  8  m.,  '77, 
Kinney,  Israel,  '75,  Cam.,  B.  H.,  8  m.,   '76,  C.  C.  A.,  8  m. 

A.,  i  y.  Pierce,  Solomon,  '75,  Cam.,  3  m.,  '76,  Ti.,  6  m. 

Lawrence,  Asa,  '78,  R.  L,  aa  d.  Pierce,  Richard,  '76'  Ti.,  G.  R. 

Lawrence,  Nicholas,  '80,  W.  Pt.,  3  m!  Platts,  John,  '75,  Cam.,  B.  H.,  S  m.,  '76  Wh.  P. 
Lawrence,  Oliver,  '75,   Cam.,  3  m.,  '78,  R.  I.,  5  m. 

6  m.  Pool,  Dr.  Jonathan,  Assist.  Surgeon,  '76  to  'So 

Lawrence,  Silas,  '80,  W.  Pt.,  3  m.  Pool,  William,  '76,  Ti.,  G.  R. 

Leeman,  Nathaniel,   '77,  Al.  T.,  '80,  W.  Pt.,  Pool,  William  W.,   '75,  Cam.,  3  m., '78,  R.  I. 

3  m.  22  d. 

Leeman,  Ensign  Samuel,  '75,  Cam.,  B.  H.,  8  Poor,  Peter,  "75,  Cam.,  B.  H.,  8  m. 

m.,  '76,  C.  A.,  i  y.,  '77,  C.  A.,  3  y.  Powell,  Thomas,  *8i,  3  m. 


206 


NAMES    OF   HOLLIS    SOLDIERS. 


[i78a 


Powers,  Francis, '75,  Cam.,  B.  H.,  8m.,  '77,  Ben 
Powers,  Francis  G.,  '79,  C.  A.,  i  y.,  '80,  W. 

Pt.,  3  m. 

Powers,  Jonathan,  '75,  Cam.,  B.  H.  Sin. 
Powers,  Nahum,  '75,  L.,  '75,  Cam.,  B.  H.8m. 
Powers,  Samson,  '75,  L.,  '75,  Cam.,  B.  H.  8  m. 

'77,  Ben. 

Powers,  Stephen,  '76,  Port,  and  N.  Y.,  it  m. 
Pratt,  Thomas,  '75,  L.,  "75 Cam.,  B.  H.  8  m.  '76, 

C.  A.  i  y.,  '77,  C.  A.,  3  y.,  '81,  for  the  war. 
Proctor,  Ezekiel,  '7SiL-.'7Si  Cam.,  B.  H.,  8m. 

'76,  C.  A.,  i  y.  '81,  C.  A.,  3  y. 
Proctor,  Ezra,  '76,  C.  A.,  :  y. 
Proctor,  Joel,  '78,  C.  A.,  2  y.,  "81,  for  the  war. 
Proctor,  Moses,  '77,  Al.  T. 
Read,  Jacob,  '75,  L.,  "75,  Cam.,  B.  H.,  8  m. 
Read,  John,  '75,  Cam.,  3  m.,  '76,  C.  A.  i  y. 
Read,  Samuel,  'Si,  3  m. 
Richardson,   Stephen,   "76,  C.  A.,  i  y.,  '77,  C. 

A.,  3  y.,  *8i,  C.  A.  for  the  war. 
Rideout,  James,  '77,  Ben. 
Rogers,  Lemuel,  '81,  C.  A.,  for  the  war. 
Rolfe,  Ephraim,  '75,  Cam.,  B.   H.,  8  m.,  '77, 

Ben-  '78,  R.  I.  22  d. 
Rolfe,  James,  '81,  C.  A.  3  y. 
Runnells,  Stephen,  '77,  Ben.,  '78,  R.  I.,  22  d. 
Russ,  Jonathan,  '75,  L.,  '75,  Cam.,  3   m.,  '77, 

Ben. 
Saunderson,  Benjamin,   '75,  L.,  '76,  Wh.   P., 

5m. 
Saunderson,  David,   '76,   N.  Y.,  2  m.,  '77,  C. 

A.  3  y.,  "80,  'for  the  war. 
Seaver,  Robert,  "75,  L.,   '75,  Cam.,   3  m.,  '77, 

Al.  T. 

Shattuck,  Isaac,  '76,  Port,  and  N.  Y.,  12  m. 
Shattuck,  Jeremiah,  '75,  Cam.  8  m. 
Shattuck,  William,  '75,  Cam.  3  m.,  '76,  N.  Y. 

a  m. 

Shattuck,  Zachariah,  '75,  Cam.  3  m.     . 
Shed,  Jonas,  77,  Ben. 
Smith,  Ephraim,  '75,  Cam.,  B.  H.  8  m.,  '76,  C. 

A.,  i  y. 

Smith,  Joshua,  '76,  Wh.  P.,  5  m. 
Spaulding,  Enoch,  '76,  Port,  and  N.  Y.,  12  m. 

'78,  R.  I.,  6  m. 
Spaulding,  Jacob,  '75,  L.,  '75,  Cam.  B.  H.  8  m. 

'77,  Al.  T., '78,  R.  I.,  22  d. 
Stearns,  Isaac, '75,  L.,  '75,  Cam.,  B.  H.,  8   m. 

'77,  Al.  T.,  '77.  Ben. 
Stearns,  Joseph,  '76,  Ti.,  6m.,  '77,  Ben.,  '79,  C. 

A.  .y. 

Stevens,  Isaac,  Jun.,  '76,  Ti.,  6  m. 
Stiles,  Caleb,  '79,  C.  A.,  i  y. 
Stiles,  Caleb,  Jun.,  '79,  C.  A.,  i  y. 
Stiles,  Eli,  '76,  C.  A.,  iy.,  '77,  C.  A.,  8  m.,'8o, 

C.  A.,  for  the  war. 

Taylor,  Amos,  '75,  L.,  '75,  Cam.  B.  H.,  8  m. 
Taylor,  Daniel.  '75,  L.,  '75,  C.  B.  H.,  8  m. 
Taylor  Edward,  '76,  Ti.,  G.  R. 


Taylor,  Jacob,  '75,  Cam.  3  m.,  '76,  C.  A.,  i  y., 

•77,  C.  A.,  8  m. 

Taylor,  Jonathan,  '75,  Cam.  3  m. 
Tenney,  Wm.,  Jun.,  '75,  L.,  '75,  Cam.,  3  m., 

'76,  Wh.  P.,  5  m. 

Thurston,  Moses,  '75,  Cam.,  B.  H.,  8  m. 
Townsend,  Ebenezer,  '75,  Cam.,  B.  H.,  8  m., 

'76,  Ti.,  6  m.,  '77,  C.  A.,  3  y. 
Twiss,  Asahel,  '81,  C.  A.,  3  y. 
Wallingford,  Lt.  David,  '75,  Cam.,  8  m.,  '77, 

Al.  T.,  '77,  Ben. 
Wheat,  Joseph,  '77,  Al.  Ti.,  '78,  R.  I.,  »2  d., 

'79,  C.  A.,  i  y.,  "So,  for  the  war. 
Wheat,  Nathaniel, '75,  L.,  '75,  Cam.,  3  m. 
Wheat,  Solomon,  '76,  Ti.,  G.  R. 
Wheat,  Thomas,  '76,  Port,  and  N.  Y.,  12  m. 
Wheat,  Thomas,  Jun.,   '75,   L.,  '75,  Cam.,  B. 

H.,  8  m. 

Wheeler,  Abner,  '77,  Al.  T.,  '77,  Ben. 
Wheeler,  Ebenezer,  '75,  L.,  "76,  Wh.  P.  5  n. 
Wheeler,  James,  Jun.,  '75,  Cam.,  3m. 
Wheeler,  Lebbeus,  '75,  L.,  '75,  Cam.,  B.  H.,  8 

m., '77,  C.  A.,3y. 
Wheeler,  Thaddeus,  '75,  L. 
Wilkins,  Bray,  '75,  L.,  '75,  Cam.,  8  m. 
Wilkins,  Israel,  '75,  L. 
Willoughby,  Jonas,  '82,  N.  Frontier,  6  m. 
Willoughby,  Samuel,  '76,  Ti.,  G.  R. 
Wood,  William,  '75,  L.,  '75,  Cam.  B.  H.,  8  m., 

•77,  Ben. 
Woods,  Jonas,  '77,  Al.  T.,  '77,  Ben.,  78,  R.  I., 

22  d. 

Woods,  Nehemiah,  '77,  Al.  T. 
Worcester,  Capt.  Noah,  '75,  Cam.  3m.,  '78,  R. 

I.,  22  d. 
Worcester,  Noah,  Jun.,  '75,  L.,   '75,  Cam.,  B, 

H.,  8  m.,  '77,  Ben. 
Worcester,  Jesse,   '76,  Ti.,  6  m.,   '77,  Al.  T.s 

'77,  Port,  i   m.,  '78,  R.  I.,  22  d.,  '80,  C.  A.. 

6  m. 

Worcester,  Samuel,  '76,  Port,  and  N.  Y.,  12  m. 
Wright,  Benj.,  '75,  L.,  '76,  N.  Y.,  2  m. 
Wright,  Benj.,  Jun.,  '75,  L. 
Wright,  Lemuel,  '76,  Ti..  6  m.,  '77,  Al.  T. 
Wright,  Samuel,  '75,   Cam.,  B.   H.,  8  m.,  '77, 

Ben. 
Wright,  Uriah,  '75,  L.,  '75,  Cam.,  B.  H.,  8  m., 

'77.  Al.  T. 
Wyman,  Jesse,  "75,  L.,  '76,  N.   Y.,   a  m.,  '77, 

Ben. 
Youngman,  Ebenezer,  '75,  L.,  '75,  Cam.  B.H. 

8m. 

Youngman,  Jabez,  '82,  during  war» 
Youngman,  John,  '76,  Ti.,  6  m.,  '77,  C.  A.,  3 

y.,  '80, C.  A.,  for  the  war. 
Youngman,  Nicholas,  '76,  Ti.  6  m. 
Youngman,  Thomas,  '76,  C.  A.,  i   y.,  '77,  C. 

A. ,3  y.,  'So,  N.  Frontier,  6  m. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 


CHAPTER    XX. 

BIOGRAPHICAL     SKETCHES     OF     SOME     OF     THE    HOLLIS      REVOLU- 
TIONARY   OFFICERS    AND    SOLDIERS. 

BLOOD,  NATHAN 

son  of  Nathaniel  Blood,  was  born  in  Hollis  April  4,  1747.  Married 
Elizabeth  Noyes,  daughter  of  Dea.  Enoch  Noyes,  April  16,  1772. 
Enlisted  April  19,  1775,  and  was  First  Sergeant  in  the  company  of 
Capt.  Dow  at  Bunker  Hill,  where  he  was  killed  June  17,  1775. 

BROOKS,  LIEUT.  WILLIAM 

• 

came  to  Hollis  about  1757.  Married  Abigail  Kemp,  in  Hollis, 
March  29,  1759.  Enlisted  in  1778  in  Captain  Emerson's  company 
to  Rhode  Island,  in  which  he  was  Second  Lieutenant.  Enlisted 
again  in  1781,  in  the  company  of  Capt.  Mills,  regiment  of  Col. 
Reynolds.  Removed  from  Hollis  after  the  Revolution. 

CONANT,  DEA.  JOSIAH 

son  of  Josiah  Conant.  Born  in  Hollis,  October  17,  1746.  Enlisted 
December,  1775*  'n  *ne  company  of  Capt.  Worcester  for  Cambridge. 
Enlisted  again  in  1778  in  the  company  of  Capt.  Emerson  for  Rhode 
Island,  in  which  he  was  Sergeant.  Deacon  of  the  Hollis  church -in 
1787,  till  his  death  in  Hollis,  August  21,  1807,  aet.  60. 

CONANT,  DEA.   ABEL 

son  of  Josiah  Conant,  born  in  Hollis  October  3,  1755.  Enlisted 
April  19,  1775,  and  was  in  the  company  of  Capt.  Dow  at  the  battle 
of  Bunker  Hill.  Enlisted  in  1776  in  the  Continental  army  for  one 
year,  and  in  1778  in  Capt.  Emerson's  company  for  Rhode  Island. 
Married  Pegga  Jewett  in  Hollis,  November  20,  1781.  Chosen  a 
deacon  of  the  Hollis  church  in  1787.  Removed  to  Hardwick,  Vt., 
in  1813,  where  he  died  May  2,  1844,  x^  88. 

CUMINGS,  ENSIGN  JOHN 

born  in  Groton,  Mass.,  March  16,  1737.  His  name  was  on  the 
Hollis  tax  lists  in  1758.  Enlisted  April  19,  1775,  and  was  Ensign 


2O8  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

or  Second  Lieutenant  in  the  company  of  Capt.  Dow  at  Bunker  Hill. 
Removed  after  the  war  to  Hancock,  as  is  supposed. 

CUMINGS,  CAPT.  JOTHAM 

son  of  Jerahmael  Cumings,  and  a  younger  brother  of  Henry 
Cumings,  D.  D.,  of  Billerica,  Mass.  Born  December  19,  1741. 
He  was  a  soldier  in  the  French  war  in  1758.  Married  Anna 
Brown,  of  Hollis,  April  27,  1763.  Removed  from  Hollis  to 
Plymouth,  N.  H.,  in  1764.  Was  Lieutenant  in  a  company  of  New 
Hampshire  Rangers  in  1775  and  was  for  many  years  a  deacon  of  the 
Plymouth  church.  Died  at  Plymouth,  April  i,  1808,  aet.  66. 

CUMINGS,  WILLIAM 

was  born  inGroton,  Mass.,  October  2,  1741.  Came  to  Hollis  about 
the  year  1760.  Married  Mehitabel  Eastman  of  Hollis,  June  28, 
1768.  Was  Master  of  the  Hollis  Grammar  School  in  1775,  and  for 
many  years  after.  Was  Town  Clerk  and  First  Selectman  in  Hollis 
in  1771  and  1772 — and  again  from  1782  to  1788  inclusive?  Enlisted 
in  the  army  in  1776  and  again  in  1777.  About  the  year  1790  he 
removed  to  Hebron,  N.  H.,  where  he  died  October  2,  1831,  aet.  90. 

DOW,  CAPT.  REUBEN 

came  from  Salem,  N.  H.,  and  was  in  Hollis  in  1761,  and  Selectman 
in  1769  and  1770.  Lieutenant  of  the  Hollis  Militia  company  in 
January,  1775-  Chosen  captain  of  the  Hollis  company  of  Minute 
men  to  Cambridge,  April  19,  1775.  Commissioned  as  captain  of 
the  Hollis  company  in  Col.  William  Prescott's  regiment,  May  19, 
1775.  Wounded  at  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill  and  was  afterwards  a 
United  States'  pensioner  for  life.  He  was  chairman  of  the  Hollis 
Committee  of  Safety  in  1776,  and  Representative  to  the  New 
Hampshire  General  Court  in  1778.  His  two  sons,  Evan  and 
Stephen,  were  Revolutionary  soldiers.  Died  February  11,  1811, 
aet.  81. 

EASTMAN,  LIEUT.  AMOS 

was  a  son  of  Amos  Eastman,  Senior,  born  in  Penacook,  now 
Concord,  N.  H.,  April  28,  1751,  and  came  to  Hollis  with  his 
father  about  the  year  1759.  Married  Ruth  Flagg,  of  Hollis, 
January  6,  1774.  Enlisted  April  19,  1775,  and  again  in  1776  in  the 
regiment  of  Col.  Gilman.  He  was  for  many  years  a  Justice  of  the 
Peace,  and  Town  clerk  and  First  Selectman  in  1806.  Died  August 
2,  1832,  aet.  81. 


.     ••-  • 


£>x^ 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  209 

In  the  year  1752?  his  father,  Amos  Eastman,  Senior,  then  living 
at  Penacook,  being  on  a  hunting  expedition,  in  the  northerly 
part  of  New  Hampshire,  with  Gen.  John  Stark  and  others,  was, 
with  Stark,  taken  prisoner  by  the  Indians,  and  both  of  them  taken 
to  an  Indian  village  in  Canada.  On  their  arrival  at  the  village, 
both  the  captives  were  compelled  to  run  the  gauntlet  between  two 
files  of  savages,  each  armed  with  a  switch  or  club  with  which  to 
strike  them  as  they  passed  between  the  lines.  Stark,  as  is  said, 
escaped  with  but  slight  injury,  but  Eastman  was  cruelly  beaten,  and 
was  afterwards  sold  to  a  French  master,  kindly  treated  by  him  and 
soon  after  redeemed  and  went  home.* 

EMERSON,  CAPT.  DANIEL 

son  of  Rev.  Daniel  Emerson,  born  in  Hollis,  December  15,  1746. 
Married  Ama  Fletcher  November  17,  1768.  Chosen  deacon  of  the 
Hollis  church  in  1775.  Appointed  Coroner  and  High  Sheriff  of 
Hillsborough  county  in  1776.  He  was  Captain  of  the  Hollis  com- 
pany that  went  to  Ticonderoga  in  July  of  that  year,  and  was  also 
Captain  of  the  company  enlisted  in  Hollis  in  June  1777,  upon  the 
Ticonderoga  Alarm.  He  was  also  in  1778  Captain  of  a  mounted 
Hollis  company  that  went  to  Rhode  Island  in  the  summer  of  that 
year,  and  also  of  a  company  in  Col.  Mooney's  regiment  raised  for 
the  defence  of  Rhode  Island  in  1779-  Capt.  Emerson  was  Town 
Clerk  and  First  Selectman  in  1780  and  1781.  A  member  of  the 
New  Hampshire  Council  in  1787 — of  the  New  Hampshire  Con- 
stitutional Convention  in  1791, — and  a  Representative  to  the  New 
Hampshire  General  Court  in1  nineteen  different  years,  between 
1780  and  1812.  His  two  oldest  sons,  Rev.  Daniel  Emerson,  Jun., 
and  Rev.  Joseph  Emerson,  were  graduates  of  Harvard,  his  third 
son,  Rev.  Ralph  Emerson,  D.  D.,  of  Yale  (^.  v.)  His  youngest 
son,  William,  was  Colonel  of  the  regiment  to  which  Hollis  was 
attached  and  was  for  many  years  a  deacon  of  the  Hollis  church. 

The  following  epitaph  is  inscribed  on  the  tomb  stone  of  Capt 
Emerson  in  the  Hollis  central  burial  ground. 

"  In  Memory  qf  Daniel  Emerson,  Esq. 
Having  faithfully  and  industriously  served  his  generation 

As  an  officer  of  the  Church 

As  a  Defender  of  Freedom 

As  a  Magistrate  and  Legislator 

As  a  friend  of  the  Poor 
And  as  a  Zealous  Promoter  of  the  Redeemer's  Kingdom. 

He  rested  from  his  labors 

October  4,  1820,  aet.  74." 

(14)  *See  Bouton's  History  of  Concord,  p.  193. 


2IO  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

EMERSON,    DR.    PETER 

second  son  of  Rev.  Daniel  Emerson,  born  in  Hollis,  November  30, 
1749.  Appointed  Surgeon  of  the  regiment  of  Col.  Mooney,  in  1779, 
Settled  as  a  physician  in  Hillsborough,  N.  H.,  and  died  at 
Hillsborough  in  1827,  at.  78. 

EMERSON,    LIEUT.    RALPH 

son  of  Rev.  Daniel  Emerson,  born  March  4,  1761.  Enlisted  July 
1776  at  the  age  of  fifteen  in  his  brother's  company  for  the  defence  of 
Ticonderoga.  In  April,  1777,  he  enlisted  in  the  Continental  army 
for  three  years.  Married  Alice  Ames,  May  13,  1784.  On  his 
tombstone  in  the  Hollis  burial  ground  is  the  following  inscription  : 

"  Erected  to  the  Memory  of  Lieut.  Ralph  Emerson 
Who  was  instantly  killed  by  the  accidental  discharge 
Of  a  cannon  while  exercising  the  matross, 
October  4,  1790,  in  the  3oth  year  of  his  age. 
We  drop  apace, 
By  nature  some  decay 
And  some  the  gusts  of  fortune  sweep  away." 

FARLEY,    CAPT.    CALEB 

was  born  in  Billerica,  Mass.,  October  19,  1730.  Married  Elizabeth 
Farley,  October  n,  1754-  He  was  a  soldier  from  Billerica  in  the 
French  war  of  1755?  and  came  to  Hollis  in  November,  1765,  and 
was  Selectman  in  1767.  He  enlisted  in  1776  in  the  regiment  of 
Col.  Pierce  Long  for  New  York  and  Canada,  and  in  1778  he  was 
Lieutenant  in  Capt.  Emerson's  mounted  company,  enlisted  in  Hollis 
for  the  defence  of  Rhode  Island.  Died  in  Hollis,  April  5,  1833, 
set.  1 02  years,  5  months. 

FARMER,    MINOT 

son  of  Benjamin  Farmer,  born  1750.  Enlisted  April  19,  1775,  in 
the  Hollis  company  of  minute  men  in  which  he  was  a  Sergeant,  and 
he  was  also  a  Sergeant  in  the  company  of  Capt.  Dow,  at  the  battle 
of  Bunker  Hill.  Married  Abigail  Barron,  September  15,  1775. 
In  the  fall  or  winter  of  i775i  ^ie  enlisted  in  Gen.  Arnold's  expedition 
to  Canada.  Was  taken  prisoner  in  the  attack  on  Quebec,  and  died 
in  captivity,  May  9,  1776,  set.  26.  He  is  supposed  to  have  held  the 
rank  of  Ensign. 

GOSS,    CAPT.    JOHN 

was  born  at  Salisbury,  Mass.,  February  13,  1739.  His  name  first 
appears  on  the  Hollis  tax  lists  in  1770.  Married  Catharine  Conant, 
of  Hollis,  February  10,  1774,  and  was  Selectman  in  Hollis  the  same 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  211 

year.  He  was  Lieutenant  in  the  Hollis  company  of  minute  men, 
that  went  to  Cambridge  April  19,  1775,  and  also  in  the  Hollis. 
company  at  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  In  the  year  1777  he  was  the 
Captain  of  the  Hollis  company  that  went  to  Bennington.  About 
the  year  1805  he  removed  with  his  family  to  Hardwick,  Vt.,  where 
he  died  September  26,  1821,  aet.  82. 

HALE,    COL.    JOHN 

was  born  in  Sutton,  Mass.,  October  24,  1731.  Settled,  as  a 
physician  in  Hollis,  at  the  age  of  about  24.  He  was  Assistant 
Surgeon  in  1755  in  the  regiment  of  Col.  Joseph  Blanchard,  in  the 
French  war,  and  Surgeon  in  Col.  Hart's  regiment,  in  1758  in  the 
same  war.  He  was  Representative  to  the  New  Hampshire  General 
Court  from  Hollis  and  Dunstable  from  1762  to  1768.  In  1767  ne 
was  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  Fifth  regiment  of  the  New 
Hampshire  Militia,  and  Colonel  of  the  same  regiment  in  1775'  anc^ 
the  same  year  he  was  Representative  from  Hollis  to  the  New 
Hampshire  General  Court,  and  also  to  the  New  Hampshire 
Provincial  Congress.  He  was  Surgeon  of  the  First  New  Hampshire 
Continental  regiment,  from  1776  to  1780,  and  a  member  of  the 
New  Hampshire  Council  in  the  year  last  named.  After  the  war 
was  ended  he  continued  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Hollis, 
in  which  he  was  distinguished,  till  his  death  in  1791.  His  three 
sons,  John,  Jun.,  David  and  William  were  all  soldiers  in  the  war. 
The  following  epitaph  is  inscribed  on  his  tombstone  in  the  central 
burying  ground. 

"  Erected  to  the  Memory  of 

Dr.  John  Hale, 
Who  was  born  October  24,  1731, 

Died  October  22,  1791. 
How  soon  our  new  born  light  attains  to  full  age'd  noon 

And  that  how  soon  to  gray  haired  night, 
We  spring,  we  bud,  we  blossom,  and  we  blast 
Ere  we  can  count  our  days  they  fly  so  fast." 

HALE,    DR.    WILLIAM 

son  of  Col.  John  Hale,  born  in  Hollis,  July  27,  1762.  Enlisted  for 
three  years  in  the  Continental  Army,  April,  1777,  when  in  his 
fifteenth  year.  After  his  discharge  from  the  army  studied  medicine 
with  his  father  and  succeeded  him  in  his  practice.  He  was  a  man 
of  great  energy,  and  had  a  large  practice  in  his  profession.  Died 
October  10,  1854,  &*•  92->  and  he  is  said  to  have  been  the  last 
survivor  of  the  1200  men  whose  names  are  found  on  the  rolls  of  the 
First  New  Hampshire  Continental  regiment. 


213  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

HOBART,    COL.    DAVID 

son  of  Peter  Hobart  and  grandson  of  Gershom  Hobart,  the  third 
minister  of  Groton,  Mass.,  born  in  Groton,  August  21,  1722. 
Settled  in  that  part  of  Hollis  known  as  "  One  Pine  Hill,"  about 
1748,  and  was  a  Sergeant  in  the  company  of  Capt.  Powers  in  the 
French  war  in  1755.  He  was  one  of  the  grantees  of  Plymouth,  N. 
H.,  and  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  that  town.  His  name  last 
appears  on  the  Hollis  tax  lists  in  1765.  In  1777  he  was  Colonel  of 
the  Twelfth  New  Hampshire  regiment  of  militia,  and  had  command 
of  a  New  Hampshire  regiment  under  Gen.  Stark  at  the  battle  of 
Bennington,  where  he  greatly  distinguished  himself  for  his  gallantry 
and  good  conduct,  for  which  he  received  due  commendation  from 
Gen.  Stark  in  his  report  of  the  battle.  In  that  battle  Col.  Hobart 
-with  Col.  Stickney  led  the  attack  against  the  Tory  breast-work  on 
the  right  where  the  contest  was  most  desperate — the  Tories  it  is  said 
"  fighting  like  tigers,"  and  neither  asking  nor  giving  quarter.  Col. 
Hobart  having  lost  his  wife,  after  the  war  removed  to  Haverhill, 
Mass.,  married  a  second  wife  and  died  soon  after  at  Haverhill.  The 
name  of  this  heroic  officer  is  erroneously  spelt  "Hubbard"  in 
*'  Belknap's  History  of  New  Hampshire,"  as  it  also  was  said  to  have 
been  in  Gen.  Stark's  report  of  the  battle. 

HOBART,    COL.  SAMUEL 

a  younger  brother  of  Col.  David  Hobart,  born  in  Groton,  August 
ii,  1734.  Settled  in  Hollis  during  the  French  war  of  1755-  Was 
a  Sergeant  in  that  war  in  1758.  Adjutant  of  Col.  Goffe's  regi- 
ment in  1760,  and  an  Ensign  in  1761.  In  1767  ne  was  Major  of  the 
Fifth  New  Hampshire  regiment  of  militia.  Representative  to  the 
General  Court  from  Hollis  for  six  years,  from  1768  to  i774-  ^n  *ne 
year  last  named  wTas  appointed  Colonel  of  the  Second  New 
Hampshire  regiment  of  minute  men,  and  was  a  delegate  from 
Hollis  to  the  New  Hampshire  Provincial  Congress.  Upon  the 
organization  of  Hillsborough  county  in  177*5  ne  was  appointed 
Register  of  Deeds,  County  Treasurer  and  one  of  the  Justices  of  the 
county  court.  In  1 775  he  was  appointed  Muster  Master,  and  also 
Paymaster  of  the  New  Hampshire  regiments  at  Cambridge.  In  1777 
he  contracted  with  the  State  government  to  manufactui^e  gunpowder 
for  the  State,  and  removed  from  Hollis  to  Exeter.  Was  represen- 
tative to  the  General  Court  from  Exeter  in  1777  and  1778,  and  a 
member  of  the  State  Committee  of  Safety  in  1779  an<^  I7^o>  Anna 
Hobart,  the  first  wife  of  Col.  Hobart,  died  in  Hollis,  May  20,  1773. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  2 13 

After  he  removed  from  Hollis  he  continued  to  reside  in  Exeter  for 
several  years  after  the  war,  married  a  second  time,  and  finally 
removed  to  Kingston,  N.  H.,  where  he  died  June  4,  1798,  aet.  63. 

JEWETT,  LT.  EBENEZER 

son  of  Dea.  Nathaniel  Jewett,  born  1743,  enlisted  in  June,  1777,  in 
the  company  of  Capt.  Emerson,  on  the  "Ticonderoga  Alarm,"  and 
in  1780  in  the  company  of  Capt.  Ban-on,  regiment  of  Col.  Nichols, 
for. the  defence  of  West  Point,  in  which  company  he  was  Lieuten- 
ant. Was  Selectman  in  1782.  He  married  Mary  Rideout  in  i793- 
Died  Oct.  6,  1826,  set  83. 

JEWETT,  JUN.,   DEACON  STEPHEN 

son  of  Dea.  Stephen  Jewett,  born  in  Hollis,  October  4,  1753.  En- 
listed in  1775  in  the  company  of  Capt.  Worcester  for  Cambridge, 
and  in  1776  in  the  company  of  Capt.  Reed  for  White  Plains.  Mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Pool,  November  16,  1778.  Chosen  deacon  of  the 
Hollis  church,  1805.  Died  February  22,  1829,  aet.  75. 

KENDRICK,  CAPT.  DANIEL 

born  17365  son  of  Daniel  Kendrick.  Selectman  in  i775>  '7^>  and 
'77.  Member  of  the  Hollis  Committee  of  Safety  in  1776  and  1777. 
Enlisted  in  Capt.  Emerson's  mounted  company  for  Rhode  Island 
in  1778.  Married  Mary  Pool,  February  13,  1782.  His  oldest  son, 
Daniel,  was  a  graduate  of  Brown  University.  His  youngest, 
William  P.,  of  Harvard,  (g.  v.)  Died  May  20,  1789,  set.  53. 

LEEMAN,  JUN.,  ENSIGN  SAMUEL 

son  of  Samuel  Leeman,  born  in  Hollis  August  7»  J749-  Enlisted 
April  19,  1775.  Was  at  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill  in  the  company 
of  Capt.  Spalding,  regiment  of  Col.  Reed.  Enlisted  in  1776  in 
the  Continental  army,  and  again  in  the  Continental  army  in  1777 
in  the  company  of  Capt.  Frye,  1st  New  Hampshire  regiment,  in 
which  he  was  Ensign.  Killed  at  the  battle  near  Saratoga,  October 
10,  1777,  aet.  28. 

NEVINS,  JUN.  ENSIGN  WILLIAM 

son  of  William  Nevins,  born  in  Hollis,  July  26,  1746,  married 
Rebecca  Chamberlain,  March  24,  1768.  Enlisted  April  19,  1775, 
and  was  Sergeant,  and  also  a  Sergeant  in  the  company  of  Capt. 
Dow  at  Bunker  Hill.  Enlisted  in  1 776  for  one  year  in  the  Continen- 
tal army.  Died  in  New  York,  1776,  set.  30. 


214  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

POOL,  DR.  JONATHAN 

son  of  Eleazer  Pool,  born  at  Woburn,  September  5,  1758.  Studied 
medicine  with  Col.  John  Hale  in  Hollis,  was  Assistant  Surgeon  in 
the  ist  New  Hampshire  regiment  from  1776  to  1780.  Married 
Elizabeth  Hale,  daughter  of  Col.  John  Hale,  December  7,  1780, 
and  settled  as  a  physician  in  Hollis,  where  he  died  July  25,  1797, 
aet.  38. 

SEAVER,   CAPT.  ROBERT 

born  1743,  name  first  on  the  Hollis  tax  lists  in  1767.  Enlisted 
April  19,  i775»  was  Lieutenant  in  Capt.  Worcester's  company  for 
Cambridge  in  i775i  an<^  a^so  m  Capt.  Emerson's  company  in  June 
1777.  Died  November  3,  1828,  aet.  85. 

TENNEY,    CAPT.     WILLIAM 

was  the  son  of  William  and  Anna  Tenney  and  was  born  in  Hollis, 
March  17,  1755.  April  19,  1775,  he  enlisted  in  the  company  of  the 
Hollis  minute  men  ;  and  in  December  1775  m  the  company  of  Capt. 
Worcester,  for  Cambridge,  and  again  in  1776  in  that  of  Capt. 
Reed,  for  White  Plains.  Married  Phebe  Jewett  in  1776  by  whom 
he  had  ten  children,  five  sons  and  five  daughters.  His  sons,  Caleb 
Jewett,  and  William,  were  graduates  of  Dartmouth,  (g.  z>.)  Died 
June  16,  1806,  aet.  51. 

His  youngest  son,  Hon.  Ralph  E.  Tenney,  born  October  5,  1790, 
settled  as  a  farmer  in  Hollis,  upon  his  paternal  homestead.  He 
was  for  many  years  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  and  Quorum,  and  was 
frequently  elected  by  his  townsmen  to  offices  of  honor  and  trust. 
For  his  first  wife  he  married  Olive  Brown,  of  Hollis,  November  12, 
1812,  by  whom  he  had  one  daughter.  After  her  decease,  he  mar- 
ried, August  14,  1818,  for  his  second  wife,  Miss  Phebe  C.  Smith, 
born  in  Dracut,  Mass.,  June  2,  1790.  At  an  early  age  Miss  Smith 
went  to  Merrimack,  N.  H.,  to  reside  with  her  step  father,  Simeon 
Cumings,  Esq.,  upon  whose  decease  she  came  to  Hollis  with  her 
mother  to  care  for  her,  in  her  declining  years.  She  was  afterwards, 
in  her  earlier  years,  widely  known  in  Hollis  as  an  excellent  and 
popular  school  teacher,  and  as  an  assistant  of  Mr.  Ambrose  Gould, 
in  his  .store. 

She  had  by  Mr.  Tenney  a  family  of  nine  children,  and  upon  her 
marriage  became  an  honored  wife  and  a  devoted,  faithful  and 
beloved  mother.  She  was  also  a  kind  neighbor  and  an  efficient 
and  cheerful  helper  in  works  of  benevolence  and  charity,  and  a 


- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES.  215 

consistent  and  exemplary  member  of  the  church  for  more  than  half 
a  century.  Died  February  17,  1864,  aet.  73. 

In  addition  to  his  other  offices,  Mr.  Tenney  was  Representative 
from  Hollis  to  the  New  Hampshire  General  Court,  in  1832,  '33,  '34, 
and  in  1845,  and  a  member  of  the  New  Hampshire  Senate  in  1847 
and  1848.  Died  October  19,  1854,  xi'  ^4- 

WALLINGFORD,    LIEUT.    DAVID 

son  of  Jonathan  Wallingford,  born  in  Bradford,  Mass.,  September 
25,  1744-  Married  Elizabeth  Leeman,  of  Hollis,  March  25,  1767. 
His  name  was  first  on  the  Hollis  tax  lists  in  177°-  He  enlisted 
April  19,  1775.  in  the  company  of  Hollis  minute  men,  commanded 
by  Capt.  Dow.  In  1775'  ne  was  afterwards  Lieutenant  in  the  com- 
pany of  Capt.  Town,  in  the  Massachusetts  regiment,  under  Col. 
Hutchinson.  In  June,  1 777'  ne  was  a^so  Lieutenant  in  the  company 
of  Capt.  Emerson,  and  again  Lieutenant,  in  July,  1777,  in  the  com- 
pany of  Capt.  Goss,  that  went  from  Hollis  to  Bennington.  Died  in 
Hollis,  March  12,  1791,  aet.  46. 

WEBSTER,   COL.    DAVID 

son  of  Stephen  Webster,  was  born  in  Chester,  N.  H.,  December 
10,  1738-  Removed  from  Hollis  to  Plymouth,  N.  H.,  among  the 
first  settlers  of  that  town  in  1764,  and  is  said  to  have  driven  the  first 
ox  team  to  Plymouth.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  French  war,  in 
1757,  and  again  in  1760.  He  was  Ensign  in  the  militia  company  of^ 
Plymouth  ;  enlisted  in  the  army,  and  rose  to  be  Colonel  of  a  New 
Hampshire  volunteer  regiment  which  he  commanded  at  the  taking 
of  Gen.  Burgoyne,  in  1777.  He  was,  after  the  war,  High  Sheriff* 
of  Grafton  county  for  thirty  years.  Died  at  Holderness,  N.  H., 
May  8,  1824,  aet.  85. 

WEBSTER,    CAPT.    AMOS 

was  a  brother  of  Col.  David  Webster,  and  also  born  in  Chester,  N. 
H.  He  also  removed  from  Hollis  to  Plymouth  among  its  earliest 
settlers.  He  was  Lieutenant  in  the  Third  New  Hampshire  Conti- 
nental regiment  in  177^1  and  a  Captain  in  the  same  regiment  in 
1777,  and  was  killed  at  the  battle  at  Saratoga,  in  October  of  that 
year.  Just  before  he  expired,  he  asked:  "  Which  side  gave 
way?"  Being  told,  "  The  British"  he  replied:  "  //  is  enough, 
•  J die  in  peace" 


2l6  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

* 

WOOD,  ENSIGN,  WILLIAM 

enlisted  April  19,  1775,  and  was  afterwards  in  the  company  of 
Capt.  Dow  at  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  at  which  he  was  so  severely 
wounded,  that  he  became  a  United  States  pensioner  for  life.  In 
1777,  he  again  enlisted,  and  was  in  the  company  of  Capt.  Goss  at 
the  battle  of  Bennington,  August  18,  1777-  He  married  Susannah 
Wright,  daughter  of  Capt.  Joshua  Wright,  by  whom  he  had  five 
sons  and  nine  daughters,  all  of  whom,  with  the  exception  of  one 
son,  lived  to  adult  age  and  were  married  and  had  families.  Died 
1826,  set.  73. 

WILLOUGHBY,  CAPT.  JOHN 

son  of  John  Willoughby,  born  in  Billerica,  Mass.,  in  1736.  Capt. 
Willoughby  removed  from  Hollis  to  Plymouth,  among  the  first  set- 
tlers of  that  town,  and  was  a  Captain  in  Col.  David  Webster's  reg- 
iment at  the  battles  of  Stillwater  and  Saratoga.  He  afterwards  was 
deacon  of  the~Plymouth  church  for  67  years,  and  died  at  Plymouth, 
June  22,  1834,  8et>  98- 

WORCESTER,  CAPT.  NOAH 

youngest  son  of  Rev.  Francis  Worcester,  born  at  Sandwich,  Mass., 
October  4,  1735?  married  Lydia  Taylor,  daughter  of  Abraham 
Taylor,  February  22,  1757.  He  was  Captain  of  the  Hollis  militia 
company  in  i775>  and  of  the  Hollis  company  to  Cambridge  in  De- 
cember of  that  year.  He  enlisted  in  the  Hollis  company  to  Rhode 
Island  in  1778.  Was  Town  clerk  and  first  Selectman  in  1775,  '76, 
'77?  '78'  and  '79  ?  chairman  of  the  Hollis  Committee  of  Safety  in 
1777,  '78  and  '79  ;  appointed  Justice  of  the  Peace  in  1777,  and  held 
that  office  forty  years ;  chosen  a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Con- 
vention of  1778  ;  was  moderator  of  the  Hollis  annual  Town  meet- 
ings in  fifteen  different  years,  between  1782,  and  1801,  and  was  an 
active  member  of  the  Hollis  church  for  sixty  years.  H  is  two  old- 
est sons,  Noah  and  Jesse,  were  soldiers  in  the  Revolution  ;  and  four 
of  them,  viz.,  Noah,  Leonard,  Thomas  and  Samuel,  became  cler- 
gymen, (q.  v.)  Died  at  Hollis,  August  13,  1817,  in  his  82d  year. 

WORCESTER,  JESSE 

2d  son  of  Capt.  Noah  Worcester,  born  in  Hollis,  April  30,  1761. 
Enlisted  July,  1776,  in  the  company  of  Capt.  Emerson,  for  Ticon- 
deroga ;  in  1777  in  the  garrison  at  Portsmouth;  in  1773,  in  Capt. 


£ 

a 


I 


2l8  THE    WAR    OF    l8l2.  [l8l2. 


CHAPTER    XXI. 

HOLLIS  IN  THE  WAR  OF    l8l2. AND  IN   THE  WAR  OF  THE  RE- 
BELLION.—  HOLLIS  SOLDIERS  IN  THE  WAR  OF  l8l2. SOLDIERS 

FURNISHED  FROM   THE   TOWN    FOR   THE  SUPPRESSION  OF  THE 

REBELLION. REGIMENTS    IN    WHICH  THEY   ENLISTED. DATE 

OF  ENLISTMENT,  AND  TIME  OF  SERVICE. CASUALTIES,  ETC. 

SOLDIER'S    AID    SOCIETY    AND    SOLDIER'S    MONUMENT. —  CAPT. 
AMES. LIEUT.  WORCESTER. LIEUT.  FARLEY. 

The  Declaration  of  War  by  the  United  States  against  Great 
Britain  in  1812  was  not  generally  approved  in  New  England,  nor 
in  this  part  of  it  was  this  war  afterwards  popular.  Party  feeling  in 
respect  to  it  was  highly  excited  and  violent,  and  but  little  was  done 
in  the  first  years  of  the  war  to  favor  voluntary  enlistments.  A  decided 
majority  of  the  voters  in  Hollis  shared  strongly  in  this  common 
sentiment  of  disapproval.  No  special  call  is  known  to  have  been 
made  upon  the  town  for  the  regular  army,  either  for  drafted  men  or 
volunteers,  and  but  few  Hollis  men  are  known  to  have  enlisted  in 
the  regular  service,  and  of  those  few  it  is  now  difficult  to  learn  the 
names  or  number. 

Capt.  Jonathan  B.  Eastman,  of  Hollis,  was  at  the  time  a  Captain 
in  the  regular  army  and  afterwards  promoted  to  United  States' 
Paymaster,  and  Capt.  Levi  Powers,  a  son  of  Samson  Powers,  was 
employed  as  a  recruiting  officer,  and  is  said  to  have  held  a  commis- 
sion as  captain  in  the  army.  In  the  report  of  the  Adjutant-General 
for  1868,  I  find  the  names  of  Jacob  Hobart  and  Benjamin  Ranger, 
two  Hollis  soldiers,  who  enlisted  in  the  regular  army  in  1812. 
Besides  Hobart  and  Ranger,  Abel  Brown,  William  N.  Lovejoy  and 
Isaac  Hardy  are  known  to  have  been  in  the  regular  service.  Lovejoy 
died  of  disease  in  the  service,  and  Hardy,  who  was  in  the  navy,  was 
killed  in  the  naval  batttle  on  Lake  Erie,  fought  under  Com.  Perry, 
September  10,  1813. 


l86l.]  WAR   OF   THE    REBELLION.  219 

In  the  summer  and  early  in  the  fall  of  1814,  a  powerful  British 
fleet  was  cruising  along  the  north  coast  of  New  England,  and  an 
attack  was  apprehended  upon  Portsmouth.  In  consequence  of  this 
apprehension,  Gov.  Oilman  issued  a  proclamation,  calling  for  New 
Hampshire  troops  for  the  defence  of  that  city,  and  a  number  of 
regiments  of  "  Detached  Militia,"  so  called,  was  raised  for  this  pur- 
pose— some  for  sixty  and  the  rest  for  ninety  days,  and  ordered  to 
Portsmouth.  The  whole  number  of  men  assigned  to  Hollis  not 
having  been  obtained  by  voluntary  enlistment,  a  draft  was  ordered 
from  the  two  Hollis  militia  companies  to  supply  the  deficiency.  In 
view  of  this  draft  at  a  special  town  meeting  held  October  17,  1814, 
the  town  voted  to  "  each  of  the  soldiers  who  had  been  drafted  $15 
per  month,  including  their  Continental  pay." 

In  the  report  of  the  Adjutant  General  for  1868,  above  referred  to, 
I  find  the  following  names  of  Hollis  men  who  went  to  Portsmouth, 
viz.,  William  Emerson,  who  was  an  Ensign  in  the  regiment  of 
Lieut.  Col.  Foot,  and  Daniel  Lawrence,  Jun.,  and  Phineas  Cumings 
who  served  in  a  regiment  of  artillery.  Besides  the  men  above 
named  I  find  in  that  report  credited  to  Hollis,  the  names  of  Leonard 
Blood,  Isaac  Butterfield,  John  Butterfield,  John  Drew,  Hezekiah 
Kendall  and  David  Powers.  It  is  also  known  that  Ephraim  Burge, 
Jun.,  and  Nathaniel  Hobart,  names  not  found  in  that  report,  were 
also  soldiers  from  Hollis  for  the  defence  of  Portsmouth.  Some 
of  the  men  above  named  are  known  to  have  been  volunteers,  the 
rest  of  them  were  drafted,  or  were  substitutes  for  drafted  men. 

LISTS    OF    THE    NAMES    OF    THE    SOLDIERS    FURNISHED  BY  HOLLIS  IN 
THE  WAR  FOR  THE    SUPPRESSION    OF    THE  SOUTHERN  REBELLION. 

There  is  not  in  this  history  space,  nor  is  it  pertinent  here  to  speak 
at  length  of  what  was  done  by  the  people  of  New  Hampshire  in  aid 
of  the  National  Government  in  the  war  for  the  suppression  of  the 
late  Southern  Rebellion.  Nor  is  it  needful  here  to  tell.  The  story 
of  the  doings  of  the  State  in  this  war  has  been  well,  if  not  fully  told 
in  histories  already  written  and  now  before  the  public.  In  addition 
to  these  histories  the  names  of  the  officers  and  private  soldiers  in  the 
twenty  or  more  regiments  raised  in  the  State,  telling  also  of  their 
campaigns  and  the  parts  of  the  country  whe're  they  served  and  of  the 
many  battles  in  which  they  fought,  have  been  published  by  authority 
of  the  State  in  an  official  State  record  of  the  war.  Suffice  it  here  to 
say,  that  in  this  war  to  save  the  nation  and  to  perpetuate  the  union 
of  the  States,  which  the  people  of  New  Hampshire,  one  hundred 


22O  THE    WAR    OF   THE    REBELLION.  [l86l- 

years  ago  so  freely  and  nobly  shed  their  blood  and  lavished  their 
treasure  to  establish,  the  good  name  and  fair  fame  of  the  State 
suffered  no  dishonor.  In  the  war  of  the  Rebellion  as  in  that  of  the 
Revolution,  each  call  upon  the  State  for  enlistments  and  re-enforce- 
ments was  promptly  and  cheerfully  met,  and  in  the  war  to  save  the 
nation,  as  in  that  in  which  its  independence  was  won,  the  New 
Hampshire  regiments  were  distinguished  for  their  intrepidity,  good 
conduct  and  devotion  to  duty.  In  most  of  the  great  and  hard  fought 
battles  of  the  war,  the  blood  of  New  Hampshire  men  flowed  freely 
and  mingled  in  full  proportion  with  that  of  the  brave  soldiers  from 
all  the  other  loyal  States,  and  their  graves  are  marked  and  numbered 
by  thousands  in  the  cemeteries  about  the  battle-fields  where  they 
fell  and  near  the  hospitals  in  which  they  pined  and  died. 

The  people  of  Hollis  in  this  fearful  struggle  for  the  nation's  life 
were  at  no  time  forgetful  of  their  duty  to  their  country,  or  of  the 
memory  and  example  of  their  worthy  and  patriotic  ancestors.  As 
in  the  war  of  the  Revolution  so  in  that  of  the  Rebellion,  the  quota 
of  soldiers  allotted  by  the  State  to  the  town,  on  the  many  calls  for 
troops,  was  not  only  as  then  promptly  filled,  but  it  appears  from  the 
official  returns,  that  the  number  actually  furnished,  as  in  many  other 
New  Hampshire  towns,  was  in  excess  of  the  number  required. 

The  names  of  the  Hollis  soldiers,  with  the  date  of  their  enlistment 
or  mustering,  time  of  service,  and  the  regiments  and  companies  in 
which  they  served,  are  presented  in  the  following  lists. 

HOLLIS    SOLDIERS    ENLISTED     IN     1 86 1,      1ST    NEW    HAMPSHIRE    REG- 
IMENT. 

This  regiment  was  raised  in  answer  to  the  call  of  President  Lin- 
coln of  April  15,  1861,  for  75,000  men  for  three  months.  This 
regiment  was  commanded  by  Col.  Mason  W.  Tappan  of  Bradford, 
— had  its  rendezvous  at  Concord — was  mustered  in  that  place  on 
the  4th  of  May — left  for  Washington  and  the  seat  of  war  on  the 
25th — and  upon  the  expiration  of  its  term  of  service,  returned  to 
and  was  mustered  out  at  Concord  on  the  following  9th  of  August. 
This  first  regiment,  for  most  of  its  term  of  service  was  on  duty  along 
the  Potomac  river,  between  Washington  and  Harper's  Ferry.  It 
was  engaged  in  some  skirmishes  with  the  enemy,  but  in  no  mem- 
orable battle.  All  the  other  regiments  raised  in  New  Hampshire 
in  1 86 1,  were  enlisted  under  the  call  of  the  President,  for  three 
years.  The  Hollis  men  in  this  regiment  were, 

French,  William  F.  Enlisted,  company  F,  May  3,  1861.     Mustered  out  August  9,  1861. 
Jaquith,  Asa  W.   Enlisted,  company  F,  May  3,  1861,     Mustered  out,  August  9,  1861. 


l'86l.]  THE    WAR    OF    THE    REBELLION.  221 

SECOND    NEW    HAMPSHIRE    REGIMENT  ENLISTED  FOR  THREE  YEARS. 

This  regiment  had  its  rendezvous  at  Portsmouth,  and  was  com- 
manded by  Col.  Oilman  Marston  of  Exeter.  The  men  were  en- 
listed in  the  months  of  May  and  June,  and  the  regiment  was  mus- 
tered in  on  the  4th  of  June  and  left  Portsmouth  for  Washington  and 
Virginia  on  the  2oth  of  that  month.  This  regiment  was  present 
at  the  first  battle  at  Bull  Run,  at  Gettysburg,  and  most  of  the  great 
battles  of  the  war  fought  in  Virginia. 

HOLLIS    SOLDIERS    IN    THE   SECOND   REGIMENT. 

Beard,  Samuel  J.  Enlisted  June  5,  i85i,  company  G.  Wounded  at  Fair  Oaks,  Virginia,  June 
25,  1862.  Discharged  for  disability,  December  9,  1862. 

Worcester,  George.     Enlisted,  company  C,  June  i,  1861.     Mustered  out  June  21,  1864. 

Greeley,  George  P.  Appointed  Assistant  Surgeon,  May  3,  1861.  Resigned  June  3,  1861.  Ap. 
pointed  Assistant  Surgeon  Fourth  New  Hampshire  Regiment,  August  i,  1861.  Promoted 
to  Surgeon  October  8,  1862.  Honorably  discharged,  October  23,  1864. 

THIRD    NEW    HAMPSHIRE   REGIMENT    ENLISTED   FOR    THREE    YEARS, 

AUGUST,   1 86 1. 

This  regiment  was  organized  at  Concord.  Its  first  Colonel  was 
Enoch  Q.  Fellows  of  Sandwich,  who  resigned  June  26,  1862,  and 
was  succeeded  by  Col.  John  H.  Jackson  of  Portsmouth,  who  upon 
being  honorably  discharged,  February  24,  1864,  was  succeeded  by 
Col.  John  Bedel  of  Bath.  The  regiment  was  enlisted  under  the 
Act  of  Congress  of  July  22,  1861.  authorizing  the  enlistment  of 
500,000  volunteers  for  three  years,  and  was  mustered  into  the 
United  States  service  about  the  last  of  August.  It  left  Concord 
September  3,  for  Long  Island,  thence  on  the  I4th  to  Washington, 
and  from  Washington,  on  the  following  i9th  of  October,  it  was  or- 
dered to  the  seat  of  war  in  South  Carolina.  It  was  on  duty  in 
South  Carolina  and  Florida  till  the  spring  of  1864,  and  in  the  mean- 
while was  present  at  nearly  all  the  battles  in  those  States,  including 
the  bloody  assault  upon  Fort  Wagner.  The  regiment  was  ordered 
to  Virginia  near  the  last  of  April,  1864,  and  was  in  most  of  the 
battles  afterwards  fought  in  that  State  till  the  end  of  the  war. 

The  Hollis  soldiers,  whose  names  appear  below,  enlisted  in  com- 
pany F.,  of  this  regiment,  Aug.  23,  1861. 

Blood,  Stillman.     Re-enlisted  February  13,  1864.     Mustered  out,  May  15,  1865. 
Chase,  Charles  F.     Promoted  to  2nd  Lieutenant,  3d  South  Carolina  Volunteers. 
Chase,  James  L.    Wounded  June  15,  1862.     Re-enlisted  February  13,  1864. 
Conroy,  Leonard.     Mustered  out,  August  33,  1864. 

Davis,  Caleb.     Wounded  August  16,  1864.    Mustered  out,  August  23,  1864. 
Donerty,  John  O.    Discharged  for  disability,  September  15,  1862. 


222 


THE    WAR    OF    THE    REBELLION.  [l86l. 


FOURTH    NEW    HAMPSHIRE    REGIMENT. 

This  regiment  was  enlisted  and  organized  at  Manchester,  was 
mustered  in  at  Manchester,  September,  1861,  and  left  that  city  for 
South  Carolina,  by  way  of  Washington  and  Fortress  Monroe,  Sep- 
tember 27,  under  command  of  Col.  Thomas  J.  Whippleof  Laconia. 
It  was  on  duty  in  South  Carolina  and  Florida  till  April,  1864,  when 
it  was  ordered  to  Virginia,  and  was  in  service  in  that  State  and 
North  Carolina  till  the  close  of  the  war.  Among  the  many  battles 
in  which  it  fought  was  the  assault  on  Fort  Wagner,  July,  1863,  the 
battle  of  Bermuda  Hundred,  Va.,  May,  1864,  and  in  that  at  Fort 
Fisher,  N.  C.,  January,  1865.  In  company  B,  of  this  regiment, 
were  two  Hollis  soldier?  who  enlisted  September  18,  1861,  and 
whose  names  were 

Jewett,  Perley  J.,  who  died  of  disease  at  Morris  Island,  S.  C.,  December  3,  1863. 
Mansfield,  William.     Mustered  out  September  37,  1864. 

SEVENTH    NEW    HAMPSHIRE    REGIMENT,    ENLISTED    FOR    THREE 

YEARS. 

This  regiment  was  also  enlisted  and  had  its  rendezvous  at 
Manchester  and  was  mustered  into  the  United  States  service  Decem- 
ber 14,  1861,  under  Col.  Haldimand  S.  Putnam,  of  Cornish.  Col. 
Putnam  was  killed  July  18,  1863,  in  the  assault  on  Fort  Wagner, 
and  was  succeeded  in  the  command  by  Col.  Joseph  C.  Abbott,  of 
Manchester.  The  regiment  left  Manchester,  for  Florida,  by  the 
way  of  New  York,  January  14,  1862,  and  was  in  the  service  in 
Florida  and  South  Carolina  till  April  1864,  when  it  was  ordered  to 
Virginia. 

While  in  the  two  former  States,  among  other  battles  in  which  this 
regiment  was  engaged,  it  was  present  and  lost  heavily  in  the  assault 
on  Fort  Wagner,  July  18,  1863,  and  also  at  the  bloody  and  disastrous 
battle  at  Olustee,  Fla.,  February  20,  1864.  After  coming  north  it 
was  present  and  engaged  in  many  of  the  battles  near  Richmond, 
Va.,  and  also  in  the  capture  of  Fort  Fisher,  N.  C.  In  company  H 
of  this  regiment  were  forty-one  Hollis  soldiers,  mustered  in  for  three 
years,  December  14,  1861,  the  survivors  of  whom  not  before  dis- 
charged or  re-enlisted,  were  mustered  out  at  the  expiration  of  their 
term,  at  Manchester,  December  22,  1864.  The  names  of  these  men 
are  presented  in  the  following  list : 

Ames,  Nathan  M.   Commissioned  Captain  of  Company  H,  December  14,  1861.     Mustered  out 

December  22,  1864. 
Austin,  Mark  J.   Promoted  to  Fifth  Sergeant  December  14,  1861.     Mustered  out  December  »a, 

.864. 


THE    WAR    OF    THE    REBELLION.  223 

Ball,  Henry.    Accidentally  killed  himself  at  Beaufort,  S.  C.,  June  26,  1862. 

Bartemus,  George  H.     Mustered  out  December  22,  1864. 

Bills,  John  P.     Killed  at  Fort  Wagner,  July  18,  1863. 

Boynton,  John  F.    Wounded  at  Olustee,  Fla.,   February  20,    1864.     Re-enlisted  February  28, 

1864.     Promoted  to  Corporal  January  26,  1865.     Promoted  to  Sergeant  June  13,  1865.     Mus- 

tered  out  July  20,  1865. 

Burge,  Charles  H.     Discharged  for  disability  at  St.  Augustine,  Fla.,  January  4,  1863. 
Burge,  George  A.     Promoted  to Coiporal  May  25,   1862.     Promoted  to   Sergeant  Decemberg, 

1863.  Mustered  out  December  22,  1864. 

Coburn,  John  A.    Promoted  to  Fourth  Sergeant  December  14,  1861.     First  Sergeant  December, 

28, 1863.    Re-enlisted  Veteran,    February    28,    1864.    Promoted  to  Captain   Company  E, 

December  12,  1864.     Mustered  out  July  20,  1865. 

Colburn,  Edward  S.     Transferred  to  Invalid  Corps,  March  29,  1864. 
Colburn,  Josiah.  Wounded  at  Bermuda  Hundred,  Va.,  May  20,  1864.     Mustered  out  December 

22,  1864. 
Colburn,  Daniel  W.     Promoted  to  Corporal   December   14,    1861.     Died  of  disease,  at  HolliF» 

February  28,  1862. 
Day,  Henry  M.  II.    Promoted   to  Corporal   December   14,    1861.    Wounded  at  Olustee,  Fla. 

February  20,  1864.     Mustered  out  December  22,  1864. 
Duncklee,  Ebenezer  P.    Discharged  for  disability,  February,  1862. 
Farley,  Benjamin  L.     Discharged  for  disability  at  Fort  Jefferson,  Fla.,  June  26,  1862. 
Farley,  Charles  H.    Promoted  to  First  Sergeant,  December  14,  1861.     Second  Lieutenant  June 

30,  1862.    First  Lieutenant  August  6,  1863.  Wounded,  mortally,  at  Olustee,  Fla.,  February 

20,  1864. 

Fletcher  Charles  H.    Died  of  disease  at  Beaufort,  S.  C.,  August  10,  1862. 
Hayden,  Daniel  W.    Promoted  to  Corporal  December  5,  1862.    Wounded  at  Fort  Wagner,  July 

18,    1863.     Promoted  to  Sergeant  February  3,  1864.    Wounded  at  Olustee,  February  20, 

1864.  Discharged  for  disability  April  29,  1864. 

Hayden,  John  W.  Promoted  to  Corporal  December  14,  1861.  Died  of  disease  at  New  York 
City,  Februarys,  1862. 

Hayden,  J.  Newton.    Wounded  May  14,  1864.     Mustered  out  December  22,  1864. 

Hills,  Albert  F.  Wounded  at  Olustee,  Fla.,  February  20,  1864.  Mustered  out  December  22,  1864. 

Hills,  Alfred  F.,  Mustered  out  December  23,  1864. 

Hobart,  Jonathan  B.   Died  of  disease  at  Morris  Island,  S.  C.,  August  23,  1863. 

Hood,  Frank  P.  Wounded  at  Fort  Wagner,  July  18,  1863.  Discharged  on  account  of  wounds 
Nov.  25,  1863. 

Howard,  James  C.    Wounded  at  Fort  Wagner  July  18,  1863.    Mustered  out  December  22,  1864. 

Howe,  Norman  R.  Promoted  to  Corporal,  December  14,  1861.  Died  of  disease  at  Beaufort, 
S.  C.,  Aug.  15,  1862. 

Jaquith,  George  D.     Mustered  out  December  22,  1864. 

Lovejoy,  Francis.  Promoted  to  3d  Sergeant  December  14,  1861.  To  2d  Lieutenant,  August  6, 
1863.  Honorably  discharged  April  28,  1864. 

Lund,  John.     Discharged  for  disability  at  Fort  Jefferson,  Florida,  June  26,  1862. 

Lund,  William.  Transferred  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps,  March  29,  1864.  Mustered  out 
December  22,  1864. 

Price,  Stephen  H.  Promoted  to  Corporal,  Dec.  14,  1861.  Re-enlisted  Veteran,  February 
28,  1864.  Mustered  out  July  20,  1865. 

Rideout,  Charles  G.     Mustered  out  December  22,  1864. 

Smith,  Freeman  H.    Discharged  for  disability  at  Fort  Jefferson,  July  20,  1862. 

Spalding,  Wm.  F.  Promoted  to  ist  Sergeant,  December  14,  1861.  To  ist  Lieutenant,  July 
18, 1863,  Company  C.  Mustered  out  December  22,  1864. 

Spalding,  Winslow  J.  Promoted  to  Corporal  October  10,  1862.  Promoted  to  Sergeant.  Cap- 
tured at  Fort  Wagner  July  18,  1863.  Exchanged,  January  21,  1864.  Mustered  out  Decem- 
ber 22,  1864. 

Truell,  Nathaniel  L.  Promoted  to  Corporal  December  14,  1861.  Mustered  out  December 
22,  1864. 

Worcester,  Charles  H.  Promoted  to  Corporal  December  14,  1861.  To  Sergeant,  October  9, 
1863.  Wounded  near  Richmond,  Virginia,  October  i,  1864.  Mustered  out  December 
•a,  »S6}. 


224  THE   WAR   OF   THE   REBELLION.  [1862. 

Worcester,  John  H.  Promoted  to  ad  Lieutenant,  December  14,  1861.  To  ist  Lieutenant,  June 
30,  1862.  Mortally  wounded,  July  18,  1863,  at  Fort  Wagner.  Died  of  wounds  July  26, 
1863. 

Worcester,  William.     Mustered  out  December  22,  1864. 

Wright,  Ezra  S.    Mustered  out  December  22,  1864. 

Wright,  Nathaniel  H.    Died  of  disease  at  St.  Augustine,  Florida,  November  27,  1863. 


EIGHTH    NEW    HAMPSHIRE    REGIMENT. 

This  regiment  was  also  enlisted  at  Manchester  in  the  fall  and  early 
in  the  winter  of  1861,  and  was  mustered  in  at  Manchester  Decem- 
ber 23,  1861,  commanded  by  Col.  Hawkes  Fearing,  Jun.,  of  that 
city.  It  left  Manchester  Jan.  24,  1862,  for  Ship  Island,  Mississippi, 
by  the  way  of  Boston,  and  was  afterwards  in  the  service  in  Louisiana 
and  other  States  bordering  on  the  Mississippi  river  till  the  expiration 
of  its  term  of  enlistment.  The  Hollis  soldiers  named  below  enlisted 
for  three  years  in  this  regiment  in  the  fall  or  winter  of  1861. 

Austin,  Albert  S.  Company  E,  enlisted  December  20.  Transferred  to  Veteran  Reserve 
Corps,  April,  1864. 

Conant,  Andrew  H.  Company  E,  enlisted  December  20.  Promoted  to  Corporal,  February 
14,  1863.  Re-enlisted,  January  4,  1864.  Died  at  Natches,  Miss.,  October  10,  1865. 

Elkins,  Freeman.  Company  E,  enlisted  December  20.  Discharged  for  disability,  at  Ship 
Island,  Miss.,  April  10,  1862. 

Jones,  James,  W.  D.  Company  A,  enlisted  October  25.  Died  at  camp  Kearney,  La.,  Octo- 
ber 26,  1862. 

Patch,  Joseph  T.  Company  A,  enlisted  October  25.  Discharged  for  disability.  Died  at 
Nashua,  July  18,  1863. 

Prior  to  the  month  of  August,  1862,  no  bounties  to  volunteers,  to 
fill  the  quota  of  Hollis  in  the  war,  had  been  offered  or  paid  by  the 
town.  Till  that  date  all  the  several  calls  upon  the  town  for  enlist- 
ments had  been  cheerfully  and  fully  met  by  its  patriotic  young  men. 
But  owing  in  par4:  to  the  large  number  of  Hollis  men  then  in  the 
army,  and  in  part  also  to  a  depreciation  of  the  paper  currency  then 
in  use,  the  calls  for  enlistments  after  the  first  of  August,  1862,  were 
not  so  promptly  filled.  In  view  of  this  state  of  facts,  and  to  stimu- 
late enlistments,  the  town,  at  a  meeting  held  on  the  I2th  of  August 
of  that  year,  "  voted  to  pay  a  bounty  of  $200  to  any  inhabitant  of 
Hollis  who  would  enlist  for  three  years,  or  during  the  war,  or 
should  volunteer  or  be  drafted  for  nine  months,  and  be  mustered 
into  the  United  States  service."  In  pursuance  of  this  vote  the  town 
paid  as  bounties  to  thirty  men,  between  the  first  of  September,  1862, 
and  July  first,  1863,  $200  each,  amounting  to  $6,000.  Most  of 
these  men  enlisted  for  nine  months  in  the  I5th  New  Hampshire  regi- 
ment ;  the  rest  in  other  regiments  for  three  years. 


l862.J  THE    WAR    OF    THE    REBELLION.  225 

FIFTEENTH    NEW    HAMPSHIRE    REGIMENT. 

This  regiment  was  raised  for  nine  months,  under  the  call  of  Pres- 
ident Lincoln  for  300,000  men  for  that  time.  It  had  its  rendezvous 
at  Concord,  and  was  mustered  into  service  at  that  place  November 
12,  1862,  under  the  command  of  Col.  John  W.  Kingman  of  Dur- 
ham. It  left  Concord  the  next  day  for  New  Orleans,  and  afterwards 
served  its  time  with  the  union  army  in  Louisiana.  The  regiment 
reached  New  Orleans  on  Christmas  day,  and  was  engaged  in  garri- 
son and  guard  duty  near  that  city  till  about  the  2oth  of  May,  1863, 
many  of  the  men  in  the  meantime  having  suffered  much  from  the 
diseases  of  the  climate.  About  the  last  of  May,  it  was  ordered, 
with  other  regiments,  to  Port  Hudson,  and  shared  in  the  sanguinary 
but  finally  successful  siege  of  that  place,  which  ended  in  its  uncon- 
ditional surrender  on  the  pth  of  July  following.  At  the  expiration 
of  its  term  of  service  the  regiment  returned  to  Concord,  and  was 
mustered  out  on  the  i3th  of  August.  In  company  E  of  this  regi- 
ment, commanded  by  Capt.  William  E.  Stearns  of  Manchester,  and 
of  which  Francis  A.  Wood  of  Hollis  was  2d  Lieutenant,  were 
twenty-two  Hollis  soldiers,  enlisted  between  October  9  and  Novem- 
ber 2,  1862,  all  of  whom,  with  the  exception  of  John  C.  Smith, 
returned  and  were  mustered  out  with  the  regiment.  The  names  of 
these  men  are  presented  in  the  following  list : 

Adams,  Charles  F.  Hayden,  Samuel  F.  Smith,  John  C.  Died  of  disease 
Annis,  George  H.  Hull,  George  S.  at  Hollis,  August,  10,  1863- 
Chamberlain,  Caleb  W.  Patch,  Granville  P.  Tenney,  George  F. 
Colburn,  Ai  Pond,  Aaron  Vandyke,  Isaac 
Hamblet,  Charles  S.  Pond,  Frank  E.  Willoby,  Harvey  M. 
Hanscom,  Alfred  A.  Portwine,  Rufus  Willoby,  Oliver  H. 
Hardy,  Isaac  Rideout,  David  J.          .  Wood,    Francis    A.,   ad   Lieu- 
Hardy,  John  H.  Smith,  Freeman  H.                             tenant. 

OTHER    HOLLIS    SOLDIERS    ENLISTED    IN    1 862. 

Cameron,   Henry   G.     Enlisted   company   I,    13111   regiment,  September  20,    1862.     Promoted 
to  Sergeant.    Discharged  for  disability  at  Falmouth,  Virginia,  January  14,  1863. 

Checkering,  Frank  N.    Enlisted  company  B,  3d  regiment  Aug  ai,  1862.  Promoted  to  Sergeant. 
Wounded  June  3,   1864.    Mustered  out  June  9,  1865. 

jaquith,  John  G.     Enlisted   company  H,  yth  regiment,  March  14,  1862.     Mustered  out,  April 
ai,  1865. 

Roby,  David  T.     Enlisted  company  I,  i3th  regiment,  September  20,  1862.     Wounded  Septem. 
ber  30,  1864.     Mustered  out  June  21,  1865. 

Smithwick,  Peter.     Enlisted  company  E,  I3th  regiment,  September   26,    1862.    Transferred  to 
Veteran  Reserve  Corps,  March  31,  1864. 

Sullivan,  Joseph.     Enlisted  company  B,   toth  regiment,  August  35,   1862.     Mustered  out  May 
16,  1865. 

Woods,  John  L.     Enlisted  August  21,  1862,  company  B,  ad  regiment.     Discharged  for  disabil- 
ity June  23,  1863. 
(15) 


226  THE    WAR    OF    THE    REBELLION.  C1^^ 

HOLLIS    SOLDIERS    ENLISTED    AND    DRAFTED    IN    1863. 

Baker,  Patrick.    Enlisted  December  7,   1863,  company  II,  7th  regiment.     Mustered  out  July 

20,  1865. 
Buss,  Joseph.     Enlisted  December  7,  1863,   company  A,    iath   regiment.      Died   of  disease  at 

Fort  Munroe,  Virginia,  October  13,  1864. 

Bills,  Jason  W.    Enlisted  August  14,   1863,  company  A,  heavy  Artillery.     Mustered  out  Sep- 
tember u,  1865. 
Hale,  Charles  A.     Enlisted  May  18,  1863,  company  H,  7th  regiment.      Wounded  July  18,   1863. 

at  Fort  Wagner.    May  10,  1864,  at  Drury's  Bluff,  Virginia.    June  16,   1864,  at  Bermuda 

Hundred,  Virginia.     Mustered  out  July  20,  1865. 
Hall,  Harvey  M.     Enlisted  November  4,   1863,  company  C,  9th  regiment.    Died  of  disease  at 

Washington,  D.  C.,  September  i,  1864. 
Kendall,  Hiram  R.     Drafted  September  i,  1863,  company  G,  8th  regiment.     Died  of  disease  at 

Natchez,  Miss.,  November  3,  1864. 

In  the  month  of  July  1863,  ten  soldiers  were  lacking  to  fill  the 
Hollis  quota,  and  for  want  of  voluntary  enlistments,  ten  of  the 
Hollis  enrolled  men  were  drafted,  all  of  whom,  with  the  exception 
of  Hiram  R.  Kendall,  above  named,  furnished  non-resident  substi- 
tutes at  an  average  cost  of  about  $500,  of  which  the  town  paid 
$300  as  a  bounty ;  the  town  at  a  meeting  September  3,  1863, 
having  voted  to  pay  that  sum  as  a  bounty  to  every  drafted  man  of 
the  town  or  his  substitute,  after  having  been  for  ten  days  mustered 
into  the  United  States  service. 

In  October  of  this  year  a  further  call  was  made  upon  the  town 
for  fourteen  men  to  fill  its  quota,  twelve  of  whom,  (all  non-resi- 
dents) were  engaged  by  the  Selectmen,  and  who  were  paid  boun- 
ties by  the  town  averaging  about  $235  each,  in  addition  to  a 
State  bounty  of  $300.  Patrick  Baker  and  Joseph  Buss,  two  resident 
volunteer  citizens,  made  up  the  number  then  called  for,  each  of 
whom  was  paid  a  bounty  by  the  town  of  $300  in  addition  to  that 
paid  by  the  State. 

HOLLIS    SOLDIERS    FURNISHED    IN    1864. 

Three  veteran  Hollis  soldiers,  whose  terms  of  service  were  about 
to  expire,  re-enlisted  under  a  call  made  by  the  President  in  Feb- 
ruary of  this  year,  viz.,  John  F.  Boynton,  John  A.  Coburn  and 
Stephen  H.  Price,  all  of  whom  were  mustered  out  in  July  1865, 
The  town's  quota  being  still  deficient,  about  the  first  of  March  1864, 
six  other  Hollis  enrolled  men  were  drafted,  each  of  whom,  at  the 
cost  to  himself  of  about  $315,  furnished  a  non-resident  substitute — 
these  substitutes  being  also  paid  a  bounty  by  the  town  of  $300  each. 

At  a  town  meeting  held  June  n,  of  this  year,  Enoch  Farley, 
Esq.,  one  of  the  Selectmen  for  1864,  was  appointed  sole  agent  in 


1861  to  1865.]  SOLDIERS'  AID  SOCIETY.  227 

behalf  of  the  town  to  engage  men  to  fill  all  future  calis.  After- 
wards, about  the  middle  of  July,  a  further  requisition  was  made  upon 
the  town  for  twenty-eight  additional  men  who  were  enlisted  for 
three  years.  Only  three  residents  of  Hollis  enlisted  under  this  call, 
viz.,  Charles  S.  Hamblet,  September  6,  1864,  in  the  heavy  artil- 
lery, and  Aaron  Pond,  September  26,  and  Charles  F.  Chase,  Dec. 
28,  1864,  in  the  Veteran  Reserve  Corps.  These  were  the  last  resi- 
dents of  Hollis  who  enlisted  in  this  war.  The  remaining  twenty- 
five  of  the  twenty-eight,  all  non-residents  and  most  of  them  aliens, 
were  engaged  by  the  agent  of  the  town,  the  whole  twenty-eight 
being  paid  bounties  averaging  to  each  about  $680,  including  the 
bounty  paid  by  the  State  and  that  of  $300  paid  by  the  town. 

SOLDIERS    FURNISHED    IN    1865. 

At  a  meeting  held  on  the  5th  of  January  of  this  year,  the  town 
"voted  to  pay  a  bounty  of  $300  to  any  enrolled  man  of  the  town, 
or  citizen  of  the  town  who  would  himself  enlist  or  furnish  a  sub- 
stitute to  fill  the  quota  of  the  town  in  anticipation  of  future  calls 
to  the  amount  of  the  town's  quota  for  500,000  men  in  addition  to 
the  present  call  for  300,000." 

In  pursuance  of  this  vote,  sixteen  enrolled  citizens  of  the  town 
engaged  substitutes  at  the  average  cost  of  about  $816  each,  of  which 
sum  the  town  paid  as  a  bounty,  $300,  and  the  State  also  $300.  In 
the  foregoing  recitals  I  have  purposely  omitted  the  names  of  all  the 
non-resident  substitutes  who  were  engaged  during  the  last  years  of 
this  war.  I  am  glad  to  be  able  to  say  that  none  of  them  were  citi- 
zens or  residents  of  Hollis.  With  but  few  exceptions  they  were  all 
aliens,  belonging  mainly  to  that  class  of  worthless  vagabonds, 
known  at  the  time  as  "Bounty  Jumpers,"  of  no  service  in  the  army, 
a  curse  to  the  country,  and  a  reproach  to  human  nature. 

THE    HOLLIS    SOLDIERS'    AID    SOCIETY. 

The  history  of  Hollis  in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion  would  be  un- 
pardonably  incomplete  should  it  fail  to  tell  of  the  patient,  faithful 
and  fruitful  labors  of  the  Hollis  ladies.  Like  their  grandmothers 
in  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  they  were  at  all  times  mindful  of  their 
fathers,  sons  and  brothers  in  the  field,  camp  and  hospital,  and  not 
forgetful  of  those  of  them  in  the  rebel  prisons.  In  the  year  1861, 
near  the  beginning  of  the  war,  a  Ladies'  Soldiers'  Aid  Society  was 
organized,  and  continued  in  active  and  successful  operation  till  its 
close. 


228  SOLDIERS'  AID  SOCIETY.  [1861  to  i86«;. 

The  president  of  this  society  was  Mrs.  Taylor  G.  Worcester — 
its  Treasurer,  Mrs.  Pliny  B.  Day — and  its  Directors  in  different 
years,  Mrs.  James  Ball,  Mrs.  Cyrus  Burge,  Mrs.  Levi  Abbot,  Mrs. 
William  P.  Saunderson,  Mrs  John  S.  Heywood,  and  Misses 
Roxana  Read,  Elizabeth  Fletcher,  and  Martha  Worcester. 

It  had  a  numerous  membership,  but  unfortunately  for  the  histori- 
cal chronicler,  it  preserved  no  written  record  of  its  members  nor  of 
its  very  liberal  contributions  in  various  ways  to  the  needs  and  com- 
forts of  the  men  in  the  army.  A  better  and  more  fitting  record  of 
their  good  works  than  that  kept  in  day  books  and  ledgers  still 
exists  in  the  hearts  and  memories  of  the  grateful  recipients  of  their 
bounty. 

Besides  the  work  done  for  the  soldiers,  by  these  ladies  at  their 
own  homes,  they  continued  to  meet  during  the  war  on  the  afternoon 
of  the  first  Tuesday  of  each  month  (and  at  times  much  oftener)  to 
fashion,  make  and  provide  articles  of  necessity  and  comfort,  such 
as  lint,  bandages,  comfortable  clothing  and  bedding,  canned  fruits, 
wines,  etc.,  for  the  sick  and  \vounded  in  the  hospitals,  and  neces- 
saries for  the  use,  convenience  and  health  of  the  men  in  the  field 
and  camp,  and  also  for  the  relief  of  such  of  them  as  were  doomed 
to  pine  and  suffer  in  the  infamous  rebel  prisons.  The  value  of  these 
good  deeds  and  kind  offices  is  not  to  be  estimated  in  "  greenbacks  " 
or  gold.  Still,  Rev.  Dr.  Day  in  his  anniversaiy  New  Years'  ser- 
mons during  the  war,  as  well  as  before  and  after  it,  was  accustomed 
to  present  a  statement  of  the  amount  of  the  contributions  of  the 
people  of  his  society  to  the  various  benevolent  enterprises  of  the 
time,  including  with  the  rest  during  the  war  the  estimated  ap- 
praised value  in  money  of  the  yearly  contributions  of  the  Ladies' 
Soldiers'  Aid  Society  to  the  comforts  and  wants  of  the  men  in  the 
army. 

Unfortunately  these  annual  sermons  of  Dr.  Day  during  the  war 
with  but  one  or  two  exceptions,  cannot  now  be  found.  But  the  true 
estimated  money  value,  of  these  contributions  for  the  four  years  of 
the  war  may  be  proximately  gathered  from  his  annual  sermon,  still 
preserved,  delivered  in  January  1864,  from  which  it  appears  that 
these  benefactions  for  the  soldiers  and  freedmen  for  the  year  1863 
were  appraised  in  cash,  at  somewhat  more  than  $1,500,  and  it  may 
be  added,  that  it  is  believed,  by  the  late  officers  and  members  of 
the  society  most  conversant  with  its  doings,  that  the  entire  cash 
value  of  its  contributions  during  the  war,  including  the  money 
donated  by  its  members,  was  not  less  than  $4,000. 


SOLDI  E  H  S '    M  0  N  U  M  K  N  T  . 
THAT  FELL'.' 


. 

1  VLt'tTT.  CHAS  .H.  FARLEY. 
CORP/WEBSTER  D.  COLBURN 

COHP.  NORMAN  R  .  rro  WK  . 

-GrtRP.  JOHN  \V.HAYl)ETs' 
HENRY  BALL. 
JOHN  P. BILLS! 
JOSFJ'HE.BITSS. 
CJ-L\RLES  H  FLETCHER 


.  HALL  . 


.        .  . 

JAMKS  W.D.JONES. 
IITRUXM  R.KENDALL 
-JO  SEPHT.  PATCH. 
JOHN  (V  SMITH. 
SYLVE  S  TER  T.\VHKE1.EH 
H.WKIGJ1T 


1873-]  SOLDIERS'  MONUMENT.  229 

THE  HOLLIS  POST  OF  THE  GRAND  ARMY. 

The  JOHN  H.  WORCESTER  Post  of  the  Grand  Army,  having 
twenty-six  members,  was  organized  April  i,  1875.  The  officers 
of  the  Post  then  chosen  were  Capt.  John  A.  Coburn,  Commander, 
Francis  Lovejoy,  Senior  vice  Commander,  Charles  H.  Worcester, 
Junior  vice  Commander,  and  Daniel  W.  Hayden,  Adjutant. 

THE  SOLDIERS'  MONUMENT. 

Not  very  long  after  the  end  of  the  war  of  the  Rebellion,  the  ques- 
tion was  brought  before  the  people  of  the  town  of  providing  some 
suitable  monument  in  honor  of  the  Hollis  soldiers  whose  I'.ves 
had  been  sacrificed  in  the  service  of  the  country  in  the  war  to  save 
the  nation,  and  also  in  that  in  which  its  independence  was  won. 
The  interest  felt  in  this  subject  shortly  afterwards  led  to  a  volun- 
tary subscription  for  this  purpose  on  the  part  of  the  citizens  of  near 
$800,  and  finally  resulted  in  a  vote  of  the  town  at  its  annual  meet- 
ing in  March  1872,  to  raise  by  tax  a  sum  not  exceeding  $2,500,  for 
the  erection  of  a  monument  in  memory  of  the  Hollis  soldiers,  who 
perished  "  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  in  that  of  1812,  and  in 
the  war  of  the  Rebellion."  At  the  same  meeting  a  committee, 
consisting  of  Dea.  Noah  Farley,  Capt.  John  A. Coburn,  George  H. 
Bartemus,  Henry  G.  Cameron,  Isaac  Vandyke,  Levi  Abbot,  Charles 
F.  Chase,  William  E.  Howe,  and  Nathaniel  L.  Truell,  was  ap- 
pointed to  locate  and  contract  for  the  monument. 

The  action  of  this  committee,  in  July  following,  resulted  in  the 
•selection  of  the  site  for  the  monument  where  it  now  stands,  on  the 
Hollis  common,  about  five  rods  south  of  the  meeting-house,  and 
afterwards  in  making  a  contract  for  its  erection,  with  Moses  Davis 
of  Nashua  as  architect  and  builder,  in  accordance  with  a  plan  made 
by  him  and  approved  by  the  committee. 

This  monument  as  it  now  stands  is  of  the  best  Concord  granite, 
of  four  equal  sides,  all  smoothly  cut  or  polished,  and  its  several 
parts  all  artistically  and  symmetrically  proportioned  to  each  other. 
Including  its  base,  die  and  shaft,  it  is  22  1-2  feet  in  height,  six  feet 
square  at  its  foundation,  its  diameteV  gradually  growing  less  from 
its  base  to  the  vertex.  On  the  east  side  of  the  die  are  inscribed  the 
names  of  eighteen  Hollis  soldiers  lost  in  the  Rebellion.  Upon  its 
west  side  are  the  words,  u  In  honor  of  the  Hollis  soldiers  who  fell 
in  the  wars  of  1775  and  in  1812."  The  names  of  those  lost  in  the 
Revolution  were  not  inscribed  upon  the  monument  at  the  time  it 


230  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

was  erected,  for  the  reason  that  the  committee  had  not  then  suc- 
ceeded in  obtaining  a  complete  list  of  them.  But  from  careful  in- 
vestigation since  made,  it  is  believed  that  this  list  is  now  full,  as 
presented  on  page  201  of  this  history,  and  there  seems  no  longer 
sufficient  reason  for  further  delay  in  the  inscription  of  their  names 
on  the  monument,  as  originally  designed. 

The  entire  cost  of  this  monument,  including  the  foundation  and 
curbing,  was  $2120.77,  °f  which  sum  $790.37  were  paid  by  private 
subscription  of  the  citizens,  and  the  balance  $1330.40,  by  the  town. 

The  dedication  took  place  at  the  Hollis  meeting-house,  on  the 
afternoon  of  Decoration  day,  (May  30)  1873,  the  graves  of  the  fallen 
soldiers  having  been  first  strewed  with  flowers,  by  the  comrades  now 
belonging  to  the  (Hollis)  John  H.  Worcester  Post  of  the  Grand 
Army,  and  the  pulpit  and  windows  of  the  church  beautifully  gar- 
landed with  bouquets.  The  exercises  consisted,  first  of  music  by 
the  Hollis  Brass  Band,  next  of  singing  by  choirs  of  children,  then 
prayer  by  Rev.  Mr.  Laird,  followed  by  patriotic  songs  and  hymns 
by  the  Hollis  church  choir.  The*  dedicatory  address  was  delivered 
by  Rev.  Charles  Wetherby  of  Nashua,  in  which  he  paid  an  elo- 
quent and  just  tribute  to  the  early  settlers  of  Hollis,  especially  to 
the  virtues,  courage  and  patriotism  of  the  Revolutionary  fathers  of 
the  town,  and  to  the  Hollis  soldiers  in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion, 
whose  bravery  and  good  conduct  had  proved  them  worthy  descend- 
ants of  their  Revolutionary  ancestors — not  forgetting  to  commend 
the  liberal  and  grateful  spirit  of  the  people  of  the  town  as  mani- 
fested in  the  erection  of  so  chaste,  appropriate  and  durable  a  mon- 
ument to  perpetuate  to  future  generations  the  memory  and  names  of 
their  fellow  townsmen  who  had  thus  given  their  lives  for  their 
country. 

AMES,    CAPT.    NATHAN   M. 
(ByJ.H.H.) 

was  the  only  son  of  William  Ames,  Esq.,  and  Lydia  (Merrill) 
Ames,  and  was  born  in  Hollis  June  4,  1827.  Capt.  Ames  settled 
in  Hollis  as  a  farmer  and  continued  in  that  business  till  the  breaking 
out  of  the  civil  war  in  1861.  Naturally  vigorous  and  active,  he 
manifested  great  energy  in  all  enterprises  he  undertook, -and  was 
earnestly  engaged  in  the  promotion  of  the  agricultural  interests  of 
the  town. 

At  the  age  of  eighteen,  he  held  a  position  in  the   staff  of  the 
brigade  with  which  he  was  connected  in  the  militia  of  the  State, 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES.  23! 

and  in  1860  he  organized  a  temporary  militia  company  in  Hollis, 
called  the  Hollis  Phalanx,  of  which^he  was  first  Lieutenant.  This 
company  attended  the  Muster  of  that  year  at  Nashua,  and  won 
great  praise  for  its  soldierly  appearance  and  discipline.  Many  of 
the  members  of  this  company  formed  the  nucleus  of  the  organiza- 
tions that  enlisted  from  Hollis  in  the  civil  war  that  soon  followed. 

When  the  war  broke  out  Capt.  Ames  at  once  begun  the  labor  of 
recruiting  a  company  for  the  service.  His  original  purpose  was  to 
have  his  company  mustered  into  the  Fifth  New  Hampshire  Regi- 
ment of  infantry.  But  the  ranks  of  that  regiment  having  been  filled, 
before  his  company  was  complete,  he  concluded  to  have  it  united 
with  the  Seventh  New  Hampshire  infantry. 

He  was  with  his  regiment  during  most  of  its  period  of  service  till 
its  discharge.  In  1863,  for  a  short  time,  he  was  Provost  Marshal 
&t  Fernandina,  Florida,  and  in  the  summer  of  i864he  was  appointed 
Chief  of  Ambulance  in  the  Tenth  Army  Corps,  at  Bermuda 
Hundred,  Va.  While  in  this  position  he  was  assigned  to  a  place 
on  the  staff  of  Gen.  Birney. 

At  the  expiration  of  the  time  for  which  his  company  had  enlisted, 
he  returned  with  it  to  New  Hampshire,  and  resumed  his  former 
occupation  on  his  farm  in  Hollis.  In  1870  he  removed  from  Hollis 
to  Vineland,  N.  J.,  where  he  bought  a  farm  and  engaged  in  the 
cultivation  of  fruits  for  the  Philadelphia  market.  Although  he 
made  this  change  for  the  reason  that  from  his  experience  of  army 
life  at  the  South,  he  believed  that  the  climate  of  New  Jersey  would 
be  better  adapted  to  his  health  than  that  of  New  Hampshire,  yet 
early  in  1872,  he  was  attacked  with  bronchial  consumption  of 
which  he  died  September  5,  1872,  set.  45.  Captain  Ames  was 
married  June  20,  1848,  to  Miss  Asenath  Hardy,  of  Hollis,  who  now 
survives,  and  by  whom  he  had  three  children,  who  survived  him  at 
his  decease.  He  was  a  kind  and  affectionate  husband  and  father, 
and  at  all  times,  in  whatever  position  in  life  he  was  placed,  he  was 
ever  ready  to  do  his  duty  conscientiously,  faithfully  and  promptly. 

WORCESTER,    LIEUT.  JOHN    H. 

son  of  John  N.  and  Sarah  (Holden)  Worcester,  was  born  in  Hollis, 
January  18,  1839.  ^n  ms  boyhood  he  attended  the  public  schools 
in  Hollis,  and  afterwards  had  the  benefit  of  a  good  academic  educa- 
tion. Before  the  Southern  Rebellion  he  had  been  a  student  at  the 
law  school  at  Cambridge,  and  at  the  commencement  of  the  civil 


232  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

war  he  was  nearly  ready  to  engage  in  the  practice  of  his  intended 
profession  with  flattering  prospects  of  success.  But  when  the  nation 
summoned  its  young  men  to  its  defence,  his  love  of  country  and 
stern  sense  of  duty  found  from  him  a  prompt  response. 

In  the  summer  of  1861,  he  enlisted  as  a  private  soldier  in  Com- 
pany H,  of  the  Seventh  New  Hampshire  regiment,  and  upon  its 
organization  was  chosen  Second  Lieutenant  of  his  company.  In 
June,  1862,  upon  the  resignation  of  the  First  Lieutenant,  (Potter,) 
Lieutenant  Worcester  was  promoted  to  his  place,  and  was  after- 
wards constantly  in  the  service  with  his  regiment,  in  Florida  and 
South  Carolina,  till  his  decease  at  Hilton  Head,  S.  C.,July26T 
1863,  aet.  24  years  and  6  months. 

The  Seventh  regiment  was  present  and  took  part  in  the  fearful 
and  bloody  assault  upon  Fort  Wagner,  S.  C.,  on  the  evening  of 
July  18,  1863.  Lieutenant  Worcester  having  succeeded,  at  the 
head  of  his  men,  in  gaining  the  top  of  the  parapet  of  the  Fort, 
while  cheering  them  on,  was  severely  wounded  in  his  left  leg,  so 
that  when  the  order  to  retreat  was  given,  he  was  unable  to  leave  the 
field.  Having  remained  all  night  on  the  battle  ground,  he  was 
taken  prisoner,  the  next  morning,  carried  into  Charleston,  his  leg 
amputated,  and  on  the  25th  he  was  returned  under  a  flag  of  truce, 
sent  to  Hilton  Head  and  put  on  board  a  vessel  to  be  sent  north  with 
other  wounded  men.  But  the  following  night  the  gangrene  struck 
his  limb,  and  before  morning  he  breathed  his  last.  When  he  found 
he  could  not  live,  he  calmly  resigned  himself  to  his  fate,  and  said  to 
a  wounded  comrade  lying  at  his  side,  "  Give  my  love  to  my  men, 
and  say  to  them  that  I  shall  be  'with  them  no  more,  and  tell  my 
friends  at  home  all  you  know  of  me"  His  remains  were  buried 
at  Hilton  Head,  under  a  military  escort,  and  afterwards  disinterred, 
taken  to  Hollis  and  buried  in  the  family  cemetery. 

In  a  tribute  to  his  memory  on  the  occasion  of  his  funeral  at  Hollis, 
Rev.  Dr.  Day  said  of  him,  "  Lieutenant  Worcester  was  just  the  man 
the  country  wanted.  Firm  in  his  convictions,  active  and  forcible, 
he  was  a  right  arm  of  strength  in  her  service.  Nature  had  fitted  him 
for  a  popular  and  successful  officer.  His  form  was  large  and  com- 
manding. He  had  a  .happy  faculty  of  mingling  with  his  men  freely 
and  socially,  and  yet  maintaining  a  complete  command  of  them. 
It  was  a  command,  not  common  in  the  army — that  of  respect  and 
love.  He  endeavored  to  make  the  most  of  his  men  by  increasing 
their  virtues.  His  counsel  and  example  were  always  against  the 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES.  233 

use  of  intoxicating  drinks,  tobacco,  profanity  and  gambling,  and  he 
knew  how  to  urge  his  views  upon  others  without  giving  offence." 

Dr.  Boynton,  the  regimental  Surgeon,  wrote  of  him,  "  No  officer 
in  the  regiment  was  before  Lieutenant  Worcester  in  promise.  He 
was  a  general  favorite  with  officers  and  men,  and  no  one  whose  lot 
it  was  to  fall  on  that  fatal  night  was  more  universally  lamented." 
Lieutenant  Potter,  to  whose  place  Lieutenant  Worcester  was  pro- 
moted, in  a  short  obituary  notice  says  of  him :  "  Lieutenant 
Worcester  in  the  discharge  of  every  duty  was  faithful  and  persever- 
ing. No  effort  was  too  great  for  him  if  he  could  benefit  the  condi- 
tion of  a  private  soldier  or  serve  a  friend.  Such  honesty — such 
fidelity — such  energy  and  such  kindness  won  for  him  the  highest 
esteem  of  all  who  knew  him.  His  character  was  unexceptionable 
— his  habits  strictly  temperate — his  principles  unwavering.  His 
service  short,  faithful  and  earnest,  is  ended.  But  his  example  still 
lives,  and  will  be  felt  so  long  as  a  remnant  of  his  company  shall 
survive." 

The  JOHN  H.  WORCESTER  Post  of  the  Grand  Army,  composed 
of  his  surviving  comrades  in  the  war,  in  and  about  Hollis,  was  so 
named,  on  its  organization,  from  an  affectionate  aud  respectful 
regard  for  his  memory. 

FARLEY,  LIEUT.  CHARLES  H. 

son  of  Dea.  Leonard  W.  and  Clarissa  (Butterfield)  Farley,  was  born 
in  Hollis  July  31,  1835,  and  died  at  Lake  City,  Florida,  February 
24,  1864,  set.  28  years  and  six  months.  Calmly  weighing  the  con- 
sequences, and  acting  from  A  deep  sense  of  duty,  he  was  among  the 
first  of  the  young  men  of  Hollis  to  enlist  in  the  service  of  his  coun- 
try. Early  in  the  fall  of  1861  he  volunteered  as  a  private  soldier  in 
the  7th  New  Hampshire  regiment,  and  on  the  organization  of  Com- 
pany H  he  was  appointed  Orderly  Sergeant.  June  30,  1862,  he  was 
promoted  to  2nd  Lieutenant,  and  to  ist  Lieutenant  August  6,  1863. 
He  faithfully  served  with  his  regiment  in  Florida  and  South  Carolina 
through  the  years  1862  and  1863,  and  till  mortally  wounded  at  the 
battle  of  Olustee,  Florida,  February  20,  1864. 

Lieut.  Farley  was  one  of  the  gallant  band  who  fought  their  way 
into  Fort  Wagner  on  the  night  of  July  18,  1863.  Wading  the  ditch 
and  scaling  the  parapet  under  a  raking  fire  of  the  enemy,  he  stood 
by  the  side  of  the  brave  and  lamented  Col.  Putnam,  when  he  fell, 
fighting  the  enemy  hand  to  hand  with  his  revolver.  He  was  twice 


234  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

struck  with  balls,  one  passing  through  his  clothes,  without  serious 
injury,  the  other  warded  oft'  by  the  testament  in  his  pocket  which 
probably  saved  his  life.  He  remained  till  the  fall  of  Col.  Putnam 
and  the  retreat  ordered. 

The  battle  of  Olustee  commenced  on  the  afternoon  of  February 
20,  and  Lieutenant  Farley  was  mortally  wounded  in  the  first  part  of 
it.  The  Union  troops  were  soon  driven  from  the  part  of  the  field 
where  he  fell,  and  he  was  taken  prisoner,  and  carried  by  the  enemy 
to  Lake  City,  about  twenty  miles  distant.  He  was  found  the  next 
day  in  a  confederate  hospital  by  two  ladies  formerly  from  New 
Hampshire,  taken  to  their  own  home  and  kindly  cared  for  by  them, 
and  also  by  the  rebel  Surgeon.  But  all  efforts  to  save  his  life  were 
unavailing,  and  he  expired  four  days  after  the  battle.  His  funeral 
was  attended  by  the  Mayor  of  Lake  City,  his  remains  kindly  in- 
terred in  the  public  burial  ground,  and  afterwards  removed  for 
burial  at  Hollis  in  the  family  burial  lot.  Rev.  Dr.  Day  in  a  tribute 
to  his  memory,  delivered  at  his  funeral  at  Hollis,  says  of  Lieutenant 
Farley,  "  That  at  the  early  age  of  sixteen  he  made  a  public  profes- 
sion of  religion  and  united  with  the  Baptist  church  in  Hollis,  and 
ever  after  till  his  death  lived  a  consistent  Christian  life.  He  never 
fell  into  any  of  the  vices  so  common  in  the  camp,  never  resorted  to 
the  gaming  table,  to  the  intoxicating  cup  nor  to  the  fumes  of  the 
poisonous  weed.  As  an  officer  he  was  a  universal  favorite.  The 
soldiers  knew  him  so  well,  that  for  him  to  indicate  his  wishes,  was 
authority.  He  never  threatened,  censured  harshly  nor  spoke 
defiantly.  His  courage  was  never  doubted,  and  no  one  ever  saw 
him  agitated,  hurried  or  disconcerted  on  the  eve  of  battle.  He  was 
calm,  self-possessed  and  trustful  in  that  Providence  in  which  he  had 
been  taught  to  believe,  and  which  was  a  cardinal  point  in  his 
religious  faith." 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  235 


CHAPTER    XXII. 

THE     CONGREGATIONAL     CHURCH     AND     SOCIETY. MEMBERSHIP. 

MINISTERS.  —  MR.  EMERSON,  MR.  SMITH,  MR.   PERRY,  MR.  AIKEN, 

MR.    GORDON,  DR.    DAY,  MR.    LAIRD,  MR.    KELSEY,  MR.    SCOTT. 

DEACONS. —  YOUNG  MEN'S  ASSOCIATION. —  THIRD  MEETING- 
HOUSE.  PHILANTHROPIC  SOCIETY. BENEVOLENT  ASSOCIA- 
TION.  FEMALE  CHARITABLE  SOCIETY. BAPTIST  SOCIETY. 

In  a  former  chapter  I  have  spoken  of  the  efforts  of  the  first  set- 
tlers of  Hollis,  while  yet  a  parish,  in  providing  for  the  support  of 
the  ministry — of  the  'building  of  their  first  and  second  meeting- 
houses— of  the  call  and  settlement  of  Rev.  Daniel  Emerson,  the 
first  and  only  minister  of  the  church  for  some  more  than  fifty  years 
— of  his  character,  public  spirit,  the  high  esteem  in  which  he  was 
held,  and  his  favorable  influence  in  the  town  through  all  its  early 
history. 

There  is  now  to  be  found  no  existing  record  of  the  original  forma- 
tion of  his  church,  and  the  well  authenticated  facts  in  respect  to  its 
history  for  the  first  fifty  years  of  its  existence  are  but  few.  As  Mr. 
Emerson  was  ordained  April  20,  1743,  it  is  supposed  that  the 
church  was  organized  either  at  that  time,  or  but  a  short  time  before. 
It  is  stated  in  a  short  historical  manual  of  the  church  published  in 
1871,  that  its  first  sacrament  or  communion  service,  was  celebrated 
June  5,  1743.  It  appears  from  the  church  records,  that  on  the  315! 
of  July,  1 745 »  a  church  covenant  then  "renewed"  and  adopted, 
was  signed  by  ten  persons,  besides  the  pastor,  that  number  proba- 
bly including  all  its  male  members  at  that  date,  viz. 

Daniel  Emerson,  Jerahmael  Cumings,  Nathaniel  Blood, 

John  Boynton,  Benjamin  Blanchard,  Joseph  Fletcher 

Henry  Barton,  Elias  Smith,  Jonathan  Danforth. 

Samuel  Brown,  Enoch  Hunt, 

It  is  shown  by  the  same  original  fecords  that  on  the  25th  of  De- 
cember, 1 745 1  William  Cumings  and  Thomas  Patch  were  chosen 


336  ECCLESIASTICAL   HISTORY. 

its  first  deacons,  and  that  February  17,  1747,  Francis  Worcester, 
Jun.,  was  chosen  the  third  deacon. 

.  As  no  confession  of  faith  is  mentioned  or  referred  to  in  the 
records  previously  to  i794>  it  is  supposed  that  none  was  formally 
adopted  before  that  time.  A  Creed  or  Confession  of  faith 
adopted  in  that  year,  and  the  covenant  in  previous  use,  were  revised 
in  1831,  and  continued  without  change,  (as  is  stated  in  the  church 
manual),  till  1871,  when  they  were  revised  and  adopted  as  they 
now  are. 

It  is  said  also  in  the  same  manual,  that  for  the  first  fifty  years,  no 
records  were  kept  of  the  members  admitted^to  the  church,  but  that 
incidental  statements  show  "that  from  the  beginning,  it  enjoyed  the 
labors  of  a  faithful  and  successful  ministry."  In  i755>  during  the 
last  French  and  Indian  war,  Mr.  Emerson  asked  permission  of  his 
church  to  be  absent  for  a  time,  as  chaplain  to  the  regiment  of  Col. 
Joseph  Blanchard  in  the  expedition  of  the  army  to  Crown  Point. 
In  a  meeting  of  the  church  to  consider  the  request,  it  appears  that 
forty-seven  members  voted,  a  number  nearly  equal  to  one-half  of  the 
tax  payers  at  that  time,  the  latter  numbering  that  year  but  one  hun- 
dred and  seven. 

The  following  names  of  members  of  the  church,  copied  from  this 
manual,  are  found  on  the  Hollis  tax  lists,  as  resident  tax  payers  be- 
fore the  war  of  the  Revolution,  viz., 

Benjamin  Abbot,  Thomas  Dinsmore,  Abraham  Leeman, 

John  Atwell,  Zedekiah  Drury,  Samuel  Leeman, 

Henry  Barton,  Amos  Eastman,  Jonathan  Lovejoy, 

Benjamin  Blanchard,  Daniel  Emerson,  Jun.,  William  Kevins, 

Nathaniel  Blood,  Benjamin  Farley,  Enoch  Noyes, 

John  Boynton,  Samuel  Farley,  Thomas  Patch, 

Josiah  Brown,  Amos  Fisk,  Peter  Powers, 

Samuel  Brown,  Eleazer  Flagg,  Moses  Proctor, 

Ephraim  Burge,  Samuel  Goodhue,  William  Shattuck, 

Robert  Colburn,  John  Goss,  Zachariah  Shattuck, 

William  Colburn,  John  Hale,  Elias  Smith, 

Josiah  Conant,  Phineas  Hardy,  Jonathan  Taylor, 

JerahmaelCumings,  David  Hobart,  Nathaniel  Townsend, 

John  Cumin gs,  Samuel  Hobart,  John  Willoughby; 

Samuel  Cumings,  Enoch  Hunt,  Francis  Worcester, 

William  Cumings,  Stephen  Jewett,  Noah  Worcester, 

Jonathan  Dan  forth,  Ebenezer  Jewett,  Benjamin  Wright. 

At  the  close  of  Mr.  Emerson's  active  ministry,  in  1793,  the  resi- 
dent members  of  the  church  numbered  about  two  hundred. 

Rev.  Dr.  Davis,  in  his  Centennial  address  before  the  Hollis  as- 
sociation of  ministers  in  September,  1862,  after  short  biographical 
sketches  of  some  other  of  the  early  members  of  that  association,  in 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  2J7 

speaking  of  Mr.  Emerson,  says  of  him,  "  Of  the  Rev.  Daniel  Em- 
son  of  Hollis  we  have  more  distinct  notions  derived  from  sketches 
furnished  by  his  distinguished  grandsons.  He  was  a  man  of 
large  and  active  intellect,  a  convert  of  Whitefield,  and  partaking 
largely  of  his  spirit,  he  wa?  uniformly  evangelical, "and  often  a  very 
eloquent  preacher.  His  chief  excellencies  in  preaching  were  sound 
doctrine,  deep  feeling  and  zeal  at  times  almost  overwhelming.  His 
labors  were  by  no  means  confined  to  the  pulpit.  He  was  interested 
in  public  affairs,  serving  as  chaplain  in  the  army^and  accompanying 
it  to  Crown  Point.*  An  able  counsellor,  he  was  often  called  from 
home  to  aid  feeble  churches.  Interested  in  the  cause  of  ministerial 
education,  and  much  blessed  with  revivals  of  religion,  among  his 
own  people,  he  animated  a  large  number  of  young  men  to  become 
preachers  of  the  gospel.  Very  assiduous  in  his  attendance  on  the 
meetings  of  this  association,  he  manifested  an  energy  like  that  of 
Baxter,  whom  in  person  he  was  said  to  resemble.  From  his  talents 
and  position  the  Hollis  minister  was  for  many  years  a  leading  mind 
in  the  association." 

In  another  connection  I  have  spoken  of  the  interest  Mr.  Emerson 
manifested  in  the  cause  of  popular  education  and  of  the  indebtedness 
of  the  youth  of  Hollis  to  him  on  that  account. 

Upon  the  monument  erected  over  his  grave  in  the  Hollis  central 
burial  ground  is  inscribed  the  following  epitaph  : 

"Beneath  this  Monument  lies  the  Mortal  part  of 

Rev.  Daniel   Emerson. 
He  was  born  at  Reading,  Mass.,  May  20,  1716. 

Graduated  at  Harvard  University,  1739 

And  was  ordained  April  20,  1743  to  the  Pastoral  care 

Of  the  Church  and  Congregation  in  Hollis 

Which  then  consisted  of  only  30  Families. 

He  was  an  honest  man,  given  to  Hospitality ;  • 

An  affectionate  Husband  and  tender  Parent; 

A  faithful  Friend  and  Patriotic  Citizen; 
An  Evangelical,  zealous  and  unusually  successful  Preacher 

Of  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ. 

Highly  Esteemed  by  his  people,  his  praise  was  in  all  the  Churches;. 
A.   D.  17931  he  voluntarily  relinquished  one-half  his  Salary 

To  promote  the  settlement  of  a  Colleague, 

From  which  time  his  pious  walk  and  occasional  labors 

Evinced  an  unabating  love  for  the  cause  of  Christ, 

Until  nature  failed  and  he  fell  asleep  in  Jesus, 

September  30,  1801,  aged  85  years. 

*When  at  Crown  Point  it  is  said  of  him  that  when  the  men  of  his  regiment  were  ordered  to 
present  their  arms  for  inspection,  Mr.  Emerson  presented  his  Biblt  to  the  inspecting  officer  as 
his  weapon. 


238  ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY. 

Upon  the  same  monument  is  also  inscribed  the  following  epitaph 
in  memory  of  his  beloved  and  venerated  consort. 

"  Here  are  also  deposited  the  remains  of 

Hannah  Emerson,  wife  of  the  above  and 

Daughter  of  Rev.  Joseph  Emerson  of  Maiden. 

She  lived  a  pattern  of  filial  obedience,  respect  and  affection, 

And  an  example  of  conjugal  love  and  duty ; 

A  most  tender,  indulgent  and  faithful  Parent, 

The  delight  of  her  Friends  and  ornament  of  the  Church ; 

She  lived  the  life  of  a  true  Disciple  of  Christ, 

In  the  constant  exercise  of  active  faith  in  His  promises, 

And  died  ia  triumphant  hope  of  everlasting  life  in  those 

Regions  where  Charity  never  faileth, 

February  28,  1812,  aged  90." 

Mr.  Emerson  and  Mrs.  Emerson  were  the  parents  of  thirteen 
children — seven  sons  and  six  daughters.  Two  of  the  sons,  Joseph 
and  Samuel,  were  graduates  of  Harvard  College,  (q.  v.)  Hannah 
Emerson,  the  oldest  daughter,  married  Manasseh  Smith  of  Hollis, 
three  of  whose  sons  were  also  graduates  of  Harvard  College,  (y.  v.) 

SMITH,   REV.   ELI 

second  minister.  On  the  27th  of  November,  1793,  Rev.  Eli  Smith 
was  settled  as  colleague  pastor  of  the  Hollis  church  with  Rev.  Mr. 
Emerson.  Mr.  Smith  was  born  at  Belchei'town,  Mass.,  September 
17,  1759,  and  was  a  graduate  of  Brown  University  in  1792^ 

Rev.  Dr.  Day  in  a  biographical  sketch  of  Mr.  Smith,  written  for 
the  "History  of  the  New  Hampshire  Churches,"  says  of  him: 
"  That  he  was  a  man  of  strong  natural  talents,  a  firm  and  energetic 
defender  of  the  truth  and  a  successful  pastor.  During  his  pastorate 
of  a  little  more  than  thirty-seven  years,  between  four  and  five  hun- 
dred persons  were  admitted  to  the  church.  *  *  *  The  great 
revival  of  his  ministry  was  in  the  years  1801  and  1802.  At  that 
time  one  hundred  and  forty-two  new  members  were  united  to  the 
church.  In  1811  there  was  another  revival  when  thirty  or  forty 
persons  were  added  to  the  church.  In  1817  there  was  still  another, 
of  which  about  fifty  more  were  made  subjects.  Mr.  Smith  was 
dismissed,  (at  his  own  request,)  in  February,  1831,  and  died  in 
Hollis,  May  n,  1847." 

Mr.  Smith,  like  his  predecessor,  Mr.  Emerson,  was  an  active  and 
zealous  friend  of  the  public  schools,  and  such  was  the  interest  he 
took  in  them,  that  some  years  after  his  settlement,  the  town  mani- 
fested its  appreciation  of  his  services  by  a  cordial  vote  of  thanks. 
From  1806  to  1830,  inclusive,  he  was  annually  elected  chairman  of 
the  school  committee,  a  position  he  continued  to  fill  with  much 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  239 

fidelity  and  advantage  to  the  schools.  Pie  was  settled  upon  an 
annual  salary  of  £90  and  twenty  cords  of  wood,  which  is  not  known 
to  have  been  materially  changed  during  his  pastorate. 

The  following  epitaph  is  inscribed  upon   his  monument  in  the 
central  burial  ground. 

"  Rev.  Eli  Smith. 

Born  September  17,  1759.     Graduated,  1792.     Ordained,  1793. 
Was   Pastor  of  the  Church  in  Hollis  37  years. 

Died  May  n,  1847. 

Mr.  Smith  was  distinguished  for  energy  and  decision  of  character, 
for  piety,  faithfulness  and  success  in  his  ministry." 

Mr.  Smith  was  twice  married.  His  only  son  by  Catharine  Shel- 
don, his  first  wife,  was  Rev.  Eli  Smith,  Jun.,  a  graduate  of  Dart- 
mouth college,  (q.  z>.).  By  his  second  wife,  Ama  Emerson, 
daughter  of  Dea.  Daniel  Emerson,  he  had  six  children — four  sons 
and  two  daughters.  The  oldest  of  these  died  in  childhood.  Lu- 
ther, the  third  son,  was  a  graduate  of  Brown  University,  (q.  t>.). 
Joseph  E.,  the  fourth,  settled  in  Hollis,  as  a  farmer,  upon  the  pater- 
nal homestead,  who,  beside  being  elected  many  times  to  important 
town  offices,  was  chosen  representative  to  the  New  Hampshire 
General  Court  in  1838  and  1839.  John  R.,  the  youngest  son, 
studied  medicine,  and  settled  in  his  profession  in  Missouri.  Ama, 
the  oldest  daughter,  married  Rev.  Noah  Emerson,  of  Baldwin,  Me.  ; 
the  youngest,  Catharine  H.,  Rev.  Darwin  Adams  of*  Camden,  Me. 

PERRY,  REV.  DAVID 

the  third  minister  of  this  society,  was  born  at  Worcester,  Mass., 
July  26,  1798,  graduated  at  Dartmouth  College  in  1824,  at  the  The- 
ological Seminary  at  Andover  in  1827,  and  was  ordained  at  Cam- 
bridgeport,  Mass.,  May,  1828.  He  was  dismissed  at  Cambridgeport, 
afterwards  installed  as  pastor  of  the  church  in  Hollis,  February  23, 
1831,  and  dismissed,  at  his  own  request,  June  13,  1842,  after  a  pas- 
torate of  some  more  than  ten  years.  During  his  ministry  not  far 
from  one  hundred  and  fifty  persons  were  admitted  to  the  church  by 
profession  or  letter.*  Mr.  Perry  died  at  Wareham,  Mass.,  Aug. 
27,  1876,  set.  78,  and  was  buried  in  Hollis,  where  he  had  resided 
for  several  years  near  the  close  of  his  life. 

AIKEN,  REV.  JAMES 

the  fourth  minister,  was  born  at  GofFstown,  New  Hampshire,  Nov. 
14,  1810,  graduated  at  Dartmouth  College  in  1839,  anc*  at  Union 
Theological  Seminary  in  1842.  Mr.  Aiken  was  ordained  as  pastor 

*New  Hampshire  Churches,  p.  186. 


240  ECCLESIASTICAL   HISTORY. 

of  the  church  and  society  in  Hollis,  August  30,  1843,  and  retained 
his  office  as  pastor  near  five  years,  in  which  time  about  sixty  mem- 
bers were  added  to  the  church.  Dismissed  July  3,  1848.* 

GORDON,  REV.  MATTHEW  D. 

fifth  minister,  was  born  at  Blantyre,  Scotland,  Dec.  10,  1812.  He 
came  to  this  country  with  his  parents  in  1817,  graduated  at  Middle- 
bury  College  in  1840,  and  at  Union  Theological  Seminary  in  1846. 
March  21,  1849,  ^e  was  ordained  as  pastor  of  the  church  at  Hollis, 
as  successor  of  Rev.  Mr.  Aiken,  and  dismissed  in  consequence  of 
ill  health  June  7,  1852.  Died  at  Hoosic  Falls,  N.  Y.,  August  21, 
1853,  set.  40. 

DAY,  D.  D.,  REV.  PLINY  BUTTS 

sixth  minister  was  born  at  Huntington,  Mass.,  April  21,  1806, 
graduated  at  Amherst  college  in  1834,  and  at  the  Theological  Semi- 
nary at  Andover  in  1837.  -^r>  -^av  was  ordained  as  pastor  of 
the  church  at  Derry,  N.  H.,  Oct.  4,  1837,  dismissed  at  Derry  in 
1851,  and  installed  as  pastor  of  the  church  and  society  in  Hollis, 
July  7  5  1852.  He  received  the  honorary  degree  of  D.  D.  from  Dart- 
mouth college  in  1864,  of  which  institution  he  was  a  trustee  for 
several  years  psevious  to  his  death.  Died  at  Hollis  July  6,  1869, 
set.  63.  The  annual  salary  of  the  three  ministers  next  preceding 
Dr.  Day  was  $600.  That  of  Dr.  Day  was  at  first  $700,  but  after- 
wards increased  to  $1000. 

The  esteem  in  which  Dr.  Day  was  held  by  his  brethren  in  the 
ministry,  and  also  by  the  people  of  Hollis,  is  well  expressed  in  the 
following  resolution  of  the  Hollis  Association  of  ministers,  adopted 
August  2,  1869,  at  its  first  meeting  after  his  decease. 

"  Resolved  that  while  we  humbly  submit  to  the  Divine  Provi- 
dence that  has  thus  removed  our  greatly  esteemed  and  beloved 
brother,  we  feel  deeply  pained  and  bereft  at  his  departure.  Rev. 
Dr.  Day  we  received  as  a  true,  Christian  gentleman  ;  courteous, 
amiable,  possessed  of  superior  mental  endowments,  judicious,  wise  ; 
his  mind  well  trained  and  furnished  with  extensive,  varied  and 
useful  knowledge ;  a  sound  theologian,  an  able  sermonizer ;  an 
earnest,  impressive  preacher ;  a  faithful  teacher,  pastor  and  spiritual 
Christian  ;  and  an  eminently  discreet  and  useful  minister  of  Jesus 
Christ. 

*Now  II  imp  ;hire  Chu  xhes,  p.  186. 


0. 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  24! 

We  record  our  deep  conviction  of  the  loss  sustained  in  his  death" by 
this  Association — by  the  church  and  people  of  which  he  was  so  long 
pastor  and  teacher — by  the  Congregational  churches  throughout  the 
State  ; — by  our  State  college  of  which  he  was  an  esteemed  trustee  ; 
— by  the  interests  of  education  generally — of  patriotism — of  Christian 
benevolence — of  sound  morals — and  of  philanthropy." 

The  published  writings  of  Dr.  Day  are  Letters  from  Europe, 
1851;  Two  Sermons,  the  Sabbath  after  his  installation,  1852; 
New  Tear 's  Address,  1854;  Sermons:  at  the  funeral  of  Benjamin 
F.Nichols,  1854;  at  the  funeral  of  John  H.  Cutter,  1860;  Fare- 
well to  Soldiers,  1861  ;  in  memory  of  John  H.  Worcester,  1864; 

Victory  and  its  Dangers,  1865  ;  in  memory  of  Abraham  Lin- 
coln, 1865  ;  at  the  funeral  of  Benjamin  M.  Farley,  1865.  Dr.  Day 
was  also  a  valued  contributor  to  the  Congregationalist  and  Con- 
gregational Jotirnal. 

LAIRD,  REV.  JAMES 

seventh  minister,  was  born  at  Huntingdon,  Canada  East,  Septem- 
ber 4,  1833.  Fitted  for  college  atMonson,  Mass.  Entered  Amherst 
College  in  1857,  Passed  the  first  two  years  of  his  college  course  at 
Amherst,  the  last  two  at  Oberlin  College,  Ohio,  at  which  he  gradu- 
ated in  1861.  He  afterwards  entered  the  Theological  Seminary  at 
Andover.  Graduated  at  Andover  in  1864.  Was  ordained  as  pastor 
of  the  Congregational  church  at  Guildhall,  Vt.,  March  15,  1866; 
dismissed  at  Guildhall  and  afterwards  installed  as  pastor  of  the 
church  at  Hollis,  May  25,  1870.  Died  at  Hollis  after  a  long  and 
lingering  sickness,  May  25,  1870,  aet.  36.  The  annual  salary  of 
Mr.  Laird  was  $1,250. 

KELSEY,  REV.  HIRAM  L. 

eighth  minister,  was  born  at  Wheelock,  Vt.,  August  31,  1835. 
Graduated  at  the  Wesleyan  University,  Middletown,  Conn.,  1861. 
Was  ordained  as  a  minister  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
April  16,  1865.  Mr.  Kelsey  was  installed  as  pastor  of  the  church 
and  society  at  Hollis,  June  i,  1875,  and  dismissed,  (at  his  own  re- 
quest,) March  i,  1878.  About  two  months  after  his  dismissal  at 
Hollis  he  was  installed  as  pastor  of  a  Congregational  church  at 
Brockton,  Mass.,  where  he  now  resides. 

Annual  salary  of  Mr.  Kelsey  at  Hollis,  $1,500   and  use  of  the 

parsonage. 

(16) 


242 


DEACONS  OP'  THE  CONGREGATIONAL  CHURCH. 


•  SCOTT,  REV.  D.  B. 

from  Milton,  N.  H.,  in  the  fall  of  1878,  was  engaged  as  minister  of 
the  society  for  one  year  and  is  now  the  acting  pastor  of  the  church. 

DEACONS    OF    THE    HOLLIS    CONGREGATIONAL    CHURCH. 


William  Cumings,                 chosen  1745,               died  September  9,  1858,      aged  46  y 

Thomas  Patch,                            "        1745,                 "          May         i,  1754, 

40 

Francis  Worcester,                   "        1747,                 "      October     19,  1800, 

'      79 

Enoch  Noyes,                             "        i75°>                 "      September,     1796, 

'      80 

John  Boynton,                              "         J7SS, 

'       October    29,  1787, 

'      67 

Stephen  Jewett, 

1770, 

'          May       23,  1803, 

'      75 

Daniel  Emerson,  Jun., 

1775. 

'      October      4,  1820, 

'      74 

Josiah  Conant, 

>787, 

'      August     21,  1807, 

'      61 

Abel  Conant, 

1787, 

'          May        2,  1844, 

1      88 

Ephraim  Burge, 

1803, 

'        March       3,  1843, 

'      78 

Thomas  Farley, 

1803, 

'        March      17,  1832, 

'      63 

Stephen  Jewett,  Jun., 

1808, 

'     February    22,  1829, 

'      75 

Benoni  Cutter, 

1814, 

'     January     17,  1816, 

'      44 

Enos  Hardy, 

1816, 

'        May         18,  1857, 

'      85 

Phillips  Wood, 

'        i  820, 

'      January      14,  1858, 

'      76 

William  Emerson, 

'        '832, 

'   December     3,  1873, 

'      82 

Isaac  Farley, 

'        1832, 

'    February    25,  1874, 

'      90 

John  B.  Hardy, 

'        1838, 

Rev.  Leonard  Jewett, 

'        1846,                 "    February    16,  1862,        "      74 

Rev.  James  D.  Hills, 

i8S7. 

Noah  Farley, 

'        1860,                 "       April          4,  1876,        "      76 

Enoch  J.  Colburn, 

1863, 

Perry  M.  Farley, 

1875, 

George  M.  Bradley, 

'        >875, 

THE    HOLLIS   YOUNG    MEN  S    CHRISTIAN     ASSOCIATION    OF    THE    LAST 

CENTURY. 

I  think  it  pertinent  to  the  History  of  the  society  and  church,  and 
as  some  evidence  of  the  moral  and  religious  training  and  culture  of 
the  youth  of  Hollis  one  hundred  years  and  more  ago,  to  present  in 
this  connection  the  following  articles  of  association  signed  by  nearly 
one  hundred  of  them.  The  document  was  preserved  among  the  pa- 
pers of  Miss  Mary  S.  Farley,  the  generous  benefactor  of  the  Hollis 
High  School,  and  whose  grandfather,  Christopher  Farley,  was  a 
member  of  the  association.  There  is  no  date  upon  the  paper,  but 
the  fact  that  two  members  of  the  association,  whose  namefe  were 
signed  to  it,  were  killed  at  Bunker  Hill,  June  17,  1775,  and  one  of 
them  at  Cambridge  two  days  after,  is  conclusive  evidence  that  the 
association  was  organized  before  that  time. 

It  may  interest  some  persons  who  belong  to  the  Toung*  Men's 
Christian  Associations  of  the  present  day  to  know  that  the  like 
associations  existed  in  New  Hampshire  three  generations  ago,  and 


YOUNG    MEN'S    ASSOCIATION.  243 

also  to  learn  in  what  manner  they  were  organized  and  conducted. 
They  may  also  have  some  curiosity  to  know  somewhat  of  the 
qualifications  for  membership  in  this  ancient  association — of  the 
duties  of  its  members  to  each  other,  as  well  as  to  the  community  at 
large — of  its  rules  for  the  admission  or  expulsion  of  disorderly  or 
unworthy  members — and  of  the  trust  and  confidence  reposed  by 
these  young  men  in  the  pastor  and  deacons  of  the  church,  in  making 
them  the  final  arbiters  in  all  matters  that  might  disturb  their 
harmony. 

"THE  ARTICLES  OF  ASSOCIATION." 

"Hoping  that  we  are  disposed  by  the  influence  of  the  spirit  of 
God  to  seek  those  things  which  ai'e  above  and  made  in  some  measure 
sensible  of  the  danger  of  bad  company  by  which  many  have  fallen 
into  temptation  and  the  snare  of  the  devil,  and  calling  to  mind 
that  we  are  given  up  to  God  in  holy  baptism,  as  well  as  desiring  to 
remember  our  Creator  in  the  days  of  our  youth  and  become  the 
unfeigned  servants  of  the  Lord  Christ,  we  determine  to  associate 
in  the  following  manner,  viz.  : 

ist.  We  will  endeavor  to  spend  about  two  hours  every  Sabbath 
evening  in  praying,  reading  and  singing  in  the  ensuing  order,  first 
asking  God's  presence  and  blessing,  then  reading  a  portion  of  sacred 
Scripture,  then  each  one  praying  in  his  turn  beginning  with  the 
oldest,  then  sing  part  of  a  psalm  or  h}mn,  then  read  a  sermon  or  a 
part  of  some  profitable  book,  then  another  prayer,  then  sing,  then 
ask  a  question  in  the  Assembly's  Catechism  to  every  member  by  the 
person  who  prayed  last. 

2nd.  By  Christ  strengthening  us  we  will  watch  over  each  other 
with  a  spirit  of  love  and  concern — not  divulging  one  another's- 
infirmities  but  lovingly  inform  them  of  what  we  shall  know  or  hear 
to  be  a  fault — nor  will  we  manifest  ourselves  offended  when  we  are 
charitably  reproved,  although  the  reproof  be  not  administered  in 
such  manner  as  we  should  wish,  but  endeavor  immediate 
reformation. 

3d.  If  any  of  our  members  shall  fall  into  scandalous  sin  we  will 
admonish  and  suspend  him  for  a  longer  or  shorter  time,  according  to 
the  nature  of  the  offence,  nor  will  we  receive  him  again  without 
visible  tokens  of  repentance  and  reformation. 

4th.  We  will  spend  the  evening  of  the  fourth  Lord's  day  in  everv 
other  month  in  prajer  for  the  increase  of  the  kingdom  of  our 


244  YOUNG    MEN  S    ASSOCIATION. 

blessed  Lord  and  Saviour  through  the  world,  especially  for  the  con- 
version of  the  young  people  where  we  live,  and  invite  one  or  two 
brethren  of  the  church  to  join  with  and  lead  us  on  said  evenings 
when  these  articles  shall  be  audibly  read. 

5th.  If  any  member  shall  absent  himself  for  more  than  two  eve- 
nings successively  without  known  reason  we  will  send  one  or  two 
to  enquire,  and  if  no  answer  be  given,  but  such  as  discovers  apos- 
tacy — without  reformation,  in  one  month  his  name  shall  be  exposed 
before  the  society. 

6th.  Any  one  who  is  desirous  of  joining  with  us  shall  be  pro- 
pounded by  one  of  the  members,  one  evening  beforehand,  and  if 
allowed  shall  present  himself  the  next,  when,  hearing  our  articles,  if 
he  pleases  to  sign  them,  it  shall  be  his  admission  into  our  number. 

7th.  We  will  cheerfully  contribute  each  of  our  parts  towards  the 
necessary  expenses  of  the  society. 

8th.  If  there  arises  any  difficulty  between  any  of  us  which  we 
cannot  heal  among  ourselves  we  will  submit  the  whole  affair  to  our 
Rev.  Pastor  and  deacons  of  the  church  for  the  time  being,  and  their 
judgment  shall  be  the  final  issue  of  the  difficulty." 

There  were  appended  to  the  foregoing  articles  the  names  of 
ninety-four  youths  and  young  men,  all  supposed  to  have  been  resi- 
dents of  Hollis,  and  most  of  them  sons  of  the  early  settlers  of  the 
town.  So  far  as  can  now  be  learned,  the  two  youngest  of  the  mem- 
bers were  Ralph  Emerson,  a  son  of  the  minister,  and  Jesse 
Worcester,  a  son  of  Noah  Worcester,  each  of  whom  in  June,  i775» 
was  in  his  fifteenth  year.  Among  the  oldest,  were  Daniel  Emerson, 
Jun.,  who  was  a  Captain  in  the  war,  and  Nathan  Blood,  who  was  a 
Sergeant  in  the  Hollis  company  at  Bunker  Hill,  each  of  whom  was 
then  in  his  twenty-ninth  year.  Forty-eight,  or  more  than  one-half 
of  the  members  of  this  fraternity  were  soldiers  in  that  war,  the  most 
of  them  having  been  in  the  service  the  first  year  of  it.  The  names 
of  these  soldiers  are  presented  in  the  following  list,  thirteen  of 
whom  marked  thus,  (*)  were  in  the  Hollis  company  at  Bunker 
Hill.  Two  of  the  thirteen,  viz.,  Nathan  Blood,  aged  twenty-eight* 
and  Jacob  Boynton,  aged  nineteen,  were  killed  in  the  battle. 

Samuel  Ambrose,  *Evan  Dow,  *James  Me  Copner, 

John  Atwell,  Jun.,  *Caleb  Eastman  *William  Nevins,  Jun., 

Andrew  Bailey,  Jonathan  Eastman,  Elijah  Noyes, 

John  Ball,  *William  Elliot,  Enoch  Noyes,  Jun., 

Nathaniel  Ball,  Daniel  Emerson,  Jun.,  Thomas  Patch, 

Daniel  Blood,  Christopher  Farley,  William  W.  Pool, 

*Nathan  Blood,  *Josiah  Fisk,  John  Philbrick, 


THIRD  CONGREGATIONAL  MEETINGHOUSE 

BUILT  10O  4     RECONSTRUCTED    1649. 


THIRD    MEETING-HOUSE.  245 

Benjamin  Boynton,  Joseph  French,  *Nahum  Powers, 

John  Boynton,  Jacob  Jewett,  Jan.,  *Thomas  Pratt. 

*Joshua  Boynton,  Jonathan  Jewett,  Edward  Taylor, 

*Jacob  Boynton,  Noah  Jewett,  Jacob  Taylor, 

James  (,'olburn,  Stephen  Jewett,  Jun.,  William  Tenney, 

Jotham  Cumings,  Abner  Keyes,  Amos  Webster, 

*Philip  Cumings,  Asa  Lovejoy,  *Noah  Worcester,  Jun., 

William  Cumings,  Jonathan  Lovejoy,  Jesse  Worcester, 

Joshua  Davis,  Ephraim  Lund,  Samuel  Worcester. 

THE    THIRD    HOLLIS    MEETING    HOUSE. 

At  the  annual  town  meeting  in  1799?  an  article  was  inserted  in 
the  warrant  "  To  see  if  the  toiun  ivotdd  btiild  a  new  Meeting' 
Hotise  or  repair  the  old  one."  At  that  meeting  the  town  "  voted 
to  build  a  new  Meeting  House  in  three  years,"  and  chose  the  fol- 
lowing committee  to  decide  where  it  should  be  placed,  viz.,  David 
Danforth  of  Amherst,  Jeremiah  Pritchard  of  New  Ipswich,  Jacob 
Blodgett  of  Townsend,  James  Brazier  of  Pepperell  and  Frederick 
French  of  Dunstable.  The  report  of  this  committee  was  soon  after 
made  and  formally  accepted.  At  the  same  meeting  Emerson 
Smith,  David  Smith  and  Benjamin  Wright  were  appointed  a  com- 
mittee to  report  a  "  Plan  "  for  the  new  house,  which  they  did  the 
same  season — this  plan,  as  appears,  having  been  copied  from  that 
of  the  meeting-house  at  Billerica,  which  with  some  modifications 
was  accepted  and  adopted. 

The  foregoing  proceedings  seem  to  have  contemplated  that  the 
new  meeting-house  should  be  built  at  the  expense  of  the  town  ;  but 
at  a  town  meeting  in  May,  1801,  the  town  "  voted  to  proceed  with 
the  building  provided  it  could  be  erected  without  a  Town  tax  "  and 
then  chose  a  committee  to  devise  the  means  to  effect  it,  and  at  the 
same  time  to  pay  the  owners  of  peus  in  the  old  meeting-house  the 
appraised  value  of  their  pews.  This  committee  of  "  ways  and 
means"  consisted  of  Daniel  Emerson,  Esq.,  Noah  Worcester,  Jere- 
miah Ames,  Daniel  Emerson,  3d,  William  Brown,  Solomon  Wheat. 
Ephraim  Burge,  Amos  Eastman  and  David  Smith. 

In  the  following  September,  this  committee  made  a  report  (which 
was  adopted)  to  the  effect  "•  that  the  town  should  choose  a  com- 
mittee to  sell  the  pews,  as  described  in  the  '  plan.'  reserving  a  min- 
isterial pew,  and  every  seventh  pew  below,  and  each  fifth  pew  in 
the  gallery,  till  the  rest  should  be  sold.  If  the  sales  should  fall 
short  of  the  cost  of  the  house — the  purchasers  of  the  pews  to  make 
good  the  deficiency — if  they  should  exceed  the  cost,  the  purchasers 
to  have  the  excess  in  proportion  to  the  amounts  severally  paid  by 


246  THIRD    MEETING-HOUSE. 

them."  The  committee  afterwards  chosen  to  make  these  sales  con- 
sisted of  Dea.  Daniel  Emerson,  Benjamin  Wright,  William  Ten- 
ney,  Amos  Eastman,  and  William  Brown. 

After  the  new  plan  was  adopted,  the  town  voted  that  the  new 
house  should  be  finished  on  or  before  November  ist,  1803,  but  af- 
terwards voted  to  extend  the  time  one  year  longer.  At  the  annual 
town  meeting  in  March,  1804,  the  town  instructed  the  building 
committee  to  take  down  the  old  house  at  the  expense  of  the  pur- 
chasers of  the  pews  in  the  new  house,  and  also  voted  that  the  "  new 
house  might  be  finished  with  a  tower  and  steeple  if  it  could  be  done 
without  expense  to  the  town."  The  foregoing  was  the  last  town 
meeting  held  in  respect  to  the  building  of  the  third  meeting-house. 

This  new  meeting-house  (built  as  is  supposed)  substantially  after 
the  model  of  that  at  Billerica,  was  finished  in  the  fall  of  1804.  It 
continued  to  be  occupied,  as  originally  constructed,  without  mate- 
rial change  outside  or  inside,  till  the  year  1849,  when  its  west  end 
was  turned  around  to  the  south — its  south  side  to  the  east,  and  the 
whole  building  remodelled,  renovated,  and  altered  substantially  to 
the  condition  in  which  it  now  is. 

Hundreds  of  people  still  living  have  a  vivid  remembrance  of  it 
as  originally  constructed  and  finished.  It  stood  upon  the  same  spot 
with  the  first  meeting-house  built  in  Hollis  more  than  sixty  years 
before,  the  main  building  being  sixty-eight  feet  long,  east  and  west, 
and  fifty-four  feet  wide  north  and  south.  It  was  two  stories  in 
height,  well  clapboarded  and  painted  white,  with  windows  of 
twenty-four  panes  each  of  glass,  nine  inches  by  twelve,  on  its  sides 
and  ends,  and  porches  on  its  two  ends  and  south  side,  with  a  wide 
door  in  each  porch  opening  into  the  main  building  or  audience 
room.  The  east  porch  was  of  two  stories  with  entrance  doors  on 
the  east  and  south  sides,  with  a  stairway  ascending  to  the  east  or 
women's  gallery.  The  south  porch  was  of  but  one  story  with  out- 
side doors  on  its  east,  south  and  west  sides.  The  west  porch  was 
also  of  two  stories,  with  stairs  to  the  west  or  men's  gallery,  and  sur- 
mounted with  a  belfry,  cupola  and  steeple.  All  of  the  outside 
doors  of  the  porches  had  well  finished  steps  or  stairways  of 
hammered  stone  for  ascent  to  them,  and  those  at  the  east  and  wrest 
porches  were  each  furnished  at  one  end,  with  a  neatly  finished  and 
convenient  horse-block  of  the  like  hammered  stone. 

The  pulpit  stood  at  the  middle  of  the  north  wall  of  the  audience 
room,  facing  south,  with  stairs  on  each  side  of  it,  and  the  seats  for 


THIRD    MEETING-HOUSE.  247 

the  four  deacons,  and  the  communion  table  hung  on  hinges  directly 
below,  in  front,  the  central  broad  aisle  leading  to  it  from  the  inside 
door  of  the  south  porch.  There  was  in  front  of  the  deacons'  seat  an 
aisle  extending  east  and  west  across  the  audience  room,  separating 
the  north  wall  pews,  from  two  ranges  of  long  free  seats  for  the 
aged  and  deaf,  one-half  of  these  free  seats  being  east  of  the  broad 
aisle,  for  women — the  other  half  west  of  that  aisle,  for  men. 

The  pews  were  six  feet  long,  east  and  west,  and  five  feet  wide, 
neatly  panelled  and  painted,  the  partitions  between  them  being  fin- 
ished at  the  top  with  a  miniature  balustrade.  There  were  in  all 
ninety-five  of  them,  of  which  sixty-eight  were  below  and  twenty- 
seven  in  the  gallery.  There  was  a  single  row  of  them  next  to  the 
-wall  on  the  lower  floor,  with  a  step  or  stair  in  front  of  each  pew, 
all  raised  a  foot  or  more  above  the  outside  aisles  leading  to  them, 
which  with  the  wall  pews,  extended  around  on  the  two  sides  and 
both  ends  of  the  audience  room.  Of  these  wall  pews  there  were 
ten,  (including  those  in  the  corners.)  on  each  of  the  north  and  south 
sides  of  the  lower  floor,  and  six  at  each  end.  Of  those  on  the  sides 
five  were  on  the  east  and  five  on  the  west  side  of  the  south  door,  and 
five  on  the  right  side,  and  five  on  the  left  of  the  pulpit.  Of  those 
at  the  ends,  three  were  on  each  side  of  the  east  and  west  doors. 

The  intermediate  space  between  the  four  outside  aisles,  (includ- 
ing the  long  seats  for  the  aged,)  was  occupied  with  six  rows  of  six 
pews  each,  all  parallel  with  the  broad  or  central  aisle — there  being 
three  rows  on  each  side  of  it — the  east  and  west  rows  of  the  six  be- 
ing separated  from  the  others  by  a  narrow  alley  leading  from  the 
south  aisle  to  the  long  seats  for  the  aged. 

The  gallery,  supported  by  round,  wooden,  well  painted  Ionic 
columns  was  finished  in  front  with  panel  work,  and  a  heavy  cornice, 
and  extended  around  on  the  south  side  and  east  and  west  ends  of  the 
audience  room,  with  a  range  of  pews  next  to  the  walls,  eleven  of 
them  being  on  the  south  side  and  eight  at  each  end,  with  aisles  lead- 
ing to  them.  The  front  part  of  the  south  gallery  was  appropriated 
to  the  singers.  The  front  part  of  the  east  gallery,  not  occupied  by 
pews,  was  furnished  with  long,  unpainted  free  seats  for  women,  and 
was  known  as  the  "  women's  gallery."  The  corresponding  portion 
of  that  on  the  west  end  was  provided  with  the  like  kind  of  free  seats 
for  men  and  known  as  the  "  men's  gallery." 

The  pews  were  all  provided  with  panelled  and  painted  doors 
hung  on  hinges,  and  with  wide,  hard  uncushioned  seats  on  the  side 


248  PHILANTHROPIC    SOCIETY. 

facing  the  pulpit,  each  about  two  feet  long,  and  also  with  like  seats* 
in  the  corners,  all  also  hung  on  hinges.  In  those  times,  the  wor- 
shippers, as  was  the  custom,  stood  during  prayers.  When  they  rose 
their  seats  were  all  lifted  up  and  turned  back  against  the  sides  of  the 
pews.  At  the  close  of  each  prayer  the  "  amen  "  of  the  minister  was 
the  signal  for  carelessly  dropping  the  seats  again  to  their  places  with 
a  noise  and  rattle  not  unlike  a  musketry  salute  of  a  raw.  poorly 
drilled  militia  company.  Some  of  these  pews  were  supplied  with 
flag-bottomed  arm  chairs  for  the  grand-parents,  and  most  of  them 
with  long,  narrow  "  leaning  boards,"  so  called,  to  be  placed  length- 
wise of  the  pews  in  front  of  the  occupants  as  they  sat,  upon  which 
they  might  rest  their  listless  heads,  when  their  "  drowsy  powers" 
got  the  better  of  their  interest  in  the  services.  The  top  ceiling  of 
the  audience  room  was  slightly  arched  and  painted  of  a  light  sky 
blue,  with  a  dark,  angry,  portentous  thunder-cloud  in  its  north 
west  corner.  With  but  few  if  any  exceptions,  there  were  no  blinds 
to  the  windows  on  the  outside  to  protect  the  patient  audience  from 
the  heat  and  sun  in  summer,  nor  curtains  nor  shades  on  the  inside — 
nor  stoves  nor  furnaces  to  soften  the  cold  of  winter.  The  principal 
substitutes  in  winter  for  these  last  modern  luxuries,  were  warm 
fur  muffs  and  tippets  for  the  hands,  arms  and  necks  of  such  of  the 
gentler  sex  as  could  afford  them,  and  thick  socks  of  fur  or  wool  for 
the  feet,  but  more  than  all  the  small  tin  hand  stove  with  its  little 
basin  of  bright  coals  and  ashes  carried  in  the  hand  to  the  pews  by 
the  younger  members  of  the  family  and  kindly  and  quietly  slipped 
around  from  one  pair  of  cold  feet  to  another. 

No  sound  of  a  church-going  bell  was  ever  heard  from  the  belfry 
of  this  meeting-house  till  1821.  In  that  year  a  subscription  was 
raised  by  the  people  of  the  town  of  near  $740  for  the  purchase  of 
one,  and  a  bell  weighing  1263  Ibs.  bought  and  hung  the  same  year. 
This  bell  proved  to  be  of  a  very  fine  tone,  but  about  twenty  years 
afterwards  it  was  unfortunately  cracked,  and  taken  down  and  sold, 
and  the  one  now  in  use  procured  by  a  like  subscription  and  hung  in 
its  place. 

i 

THE    HOLLIS    PHILANTHROPIC    SOCIETY. 

On  the  I5th  January,  1801,  thirty  or  more  of  the  citizens  of 
Hollis,  interested  in  the  maintenance  of  the  ministry  in  the  Con- 
gregational society,  met  for  the  purpose  of  devising  a  "  plan"  for  its 
permanent  support  without  taxation.  At  that  meeting,  a  preamb 


PHILANTHROPIC    SOCIETY.  249 

was  reported,  adopted  and  signed  by  them,  expressive  of  their 
wishes  and  purposes,  a  substantial  copy  of  which  with  the  names 
of  the  signers,  is  here  presented,  as  follows : 

"  Considering  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  the  sole  foundation  and 
source  of  happiness  to  man,  *  * — and  that  this  gospel  should  be  re- 
spectably maintained  and  publicly  taught  in  such  way  as  will  most 
harmoniously  tend  to  promote  public  tranquility  and  individual  piety, 
*  * — we  the  subscribers,  inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Hollis,  do  here- 
by associate  ourselves  together  under  the  name  of  the  "  Hollis 
Philanthropic  Society  "  for  the  purpose  of  devising,  according  to 
the  best  of  our  ability,  some  plan  for  the  perpetual  support  of  the 
gospel  in  the  town  in  which  we  live,  and  although  we  dare  not 
promise  ourselves  a  speedy  accomplishment  of  our  purposes,  yet  we 
view  it  of  such  consequence  to  the  well  being  of  society  that  we 
deem  it  an  object  highly  worthy  of  our  attention,  and  that  we  can- 
not transmit  to  posterity  a  more  valuable  legacy."  Signed, 


Noah  Worcester, 

John  Ball, 

William  Tenney, 

Daniel  Emerson,  Jun., 

Benoni  Cutter, 

Benjamin  Wright, 

Stephen  Jewett, 

Wilder  Chamberlain, 

David  Holden, 

Ephraim  Burge, 

Jesse  Hardy, 

Amos  Eastman,  Jun.. 

Nathan  Colburn, 

Jesse  Worcester, 

Reuben  Flagg, 

Thomas  Farley, 

Daniel  Lawrence, 

Eli  Smith, 

Nathan  Holt, 

James  Bradbury, 

William  Ferguson, 

Daniel  Emerson,  3d, 

William  Merrill, 

Aaron  Bailey, 

Solomon  Wheat, 

Josiah  Conant,  Jun., 

Samuel  Smith, 

David  Smith, 

William  Brown, 

Enos  Hardy, 

David  Burge, 

David  Hale, 

Timothy  Lawrence. 

At  that  meeting  a  committee,  consisting  of  Daniel  Emerson,  3dt 
Noah  Worcester,  Jesse  Worcester,  Stephen  Jewett,  and  Ephraim 
Burge,  was  appointed  to  prepare  and  report  a  plan  and  rules  for 
carrying  into  effect  the  obj'ects  of  the  association.  These  proceed- 
ings, with  the  report  of  this  committee  finally  resulted  in  procuring 
from  the  General  Court  an  Act  of  Incorporation,  authorizing  the 
association  to  raise  funds  by  donation  and  contribution,  the  income 
of  which  (as  contemplated)  might  permanently  support  the  minis- 
try in  this  church  and  society.  The  association  began  its  operations 
for  the  obj'ects  proposed  the  same  year,  and  has  continued  in  exis- 
tence, under  its  original  and  amended  charters,  from  that  time  to  the 
present. 

The  original  charter  provided  that  when  the  funds  of  this  asso- 
ciation should  reach  the  sum  of  $7,000,  five-sixths  of  its  income 
should  be  paid  to  the  Selectmen  of  Hollis  for  the  time  being  for  the 
support  of  the  gospel  in  this  church  and  society.  In  1831.  the 


350  BENEVOLENT    ASSOCIATION. 

original  charter  was  altered,  authorizing  the  association,  when  its 
funds  should  amount  to  $3,500,  to  pay  to  the  standing  committee  of 
that  society  twelve-thirteenths  of  its  yearly  income.  In  the  year 
1832  the  invested  funds  of  the  association,  having  increased  to 
$3,536,  the  association  that  year  paid  $200  of  its  income  for  the 
support  of  the  ministry  in  that  society,  and  continued  to  pay  the 
like  sum  yearly  till  1849, — from  ^49  to  1854,  $25°  Per  year. 
Since  1854,  the  average  annual  amount  so  paid  has  been  near  $267. 
It  appears  from  the  annual  report  of  the  association,  made  in  Jan- 
uary 1878,  that  its  permanent  fund,  including  interest,  had  increased 
to  $5,7°3-95- 

THE    HOLLIS    BENEVOLENT    ASSOCIATION. 

If  the  amount  of  the  contributions  in  money  of  the  Congrega- 
tional society  in  Hollis  in  aid  of  the  various  charitable  and  reli- 
gious enterprises  of  the  day  does  not  equal  that  of  some  other 
larger  and  more  wealthy  societies  in  the  county,  still  it  is  believed 
that  in  this  respect  its  good  name  will  not  suffer  in  comparison  with 
most  of  them.  In  January,  1836,  a  charitable  organization  was 
formed,  composed  of  its  leading  members,  which  then  adopted  the 
name,  and  has  since  been  known,  as  the  "  Hollis  Benevolent  As- 
sociation" It  appears  from  the  written  Constitution  of  this  asso- 
ciation, that  it  was  one  of  its  main  purposes,  by  means  of  a  single 
organization,  in  place  of  several,  to  furnish  material  aid  to  each  of 
the  charitable  religious  enterprises  of  the  day,  in  which  the  members 
of  this  association  felt  interested.  These  enterprises  included  the 
Bible  Society,  Foreign  and  Domestic  Missions,  the  Tract,  Educa- 
tion, and  Sabbath  School  Societies.  It  is  shown  by  the  accounts  of 
its  doings,  kept  in  the  records  of  this  association,  that  the  amount 
in  money  contributed  to  its  objects  for  the  first  six  years  of  its  exis- 
tence, was  $3,644,  being  at  the  rate  of  $607  per  year.  It  also  ap- 
pears that  the  amount  raised  by  it  from  1853,  to  1869,  (being  six- 
teen years  of  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  Dr.  Day)  was  very  nearly  equal 
to  an  annual  average  of  $500,  and  making  an  aggregate  of  $7,794. 

THE    HOLLIS    FEMALE    READING    AND    CHARITABLE    SOCIETY. 

This  association  composed  of  ladies  belonging  to  the  Congrega- 
tional church  and  society  was  formed  in  the  year  1829,  and  has  been 
in  active  operation  from  that  year  to  the  present.  It  appears  from 
its  Constitution,  then  adopted,  that  its  leading  objects  were  the  pro- 


FEMALE    CHARITABLE    ASSOCIATION.  251 

promotion  of  social  intercourse,  mental  culture  and  improvement, 
and  active  and  worthy  charities.  Its  regular  meetings  were  to  be 
held  during  the  entire  year  on  the  first  Thursday  afternoon  of  each 
month,  and  while  listening  to  some  useful,  and  instructive  reading 
by  one  of  its  members,  the  time  of  the  rest  was  to  be  occupied 
in  working  for  some  object  of  beneficence  to  be  approved  by  a 
majority  of  them.  , 

The  records  of  the  doings  of  this  society  have  been,  from  year  to 
year,  neatly  written  out  and  kept  for  near  half  a  century.  One  of 
the  primary  objects  of  its  charities  seems  to  have  been  to  aid  the  un- 
fortunate, deserving  poor  at  home,  but  the  amount  of  its  benefactions 
bestowed  in  this  way  does  not  appear  in  its  records,  nor  in  the  early 
years  of  its  existence  was  the  annual  report  of  its  treasurer  recorded 
at  all.  Still,  though  the  record  of  its  good  works  is  thus  incomplete, 
yet  it  is  shown  by  the  report  for  1878  of  its  present  secretary,  Mrs. 
Jefferson  Farley,  that  it  appears  from  these  records  that  more  than 
$1,000  have  been  received  by  the  society,  mainly  from  self-imposed 
taxes  and  fees  for  membership.  Aside  from  its  home  charities  and 
work,  the  objects  of  the  bounty  of  the  association  have  been  many 
and  various,  including  in  them,  Home  and  Foreign  Missions  and 
Missionaries,  the  Seaman's  Friends'  Society,  the  Home  of  the 
Friendless  in  New  York  city,  and  the  New  Hampshire  Orphan's 
Asylum,  at  Franklin.  As  the  fruits  of  the  labors  and  beneficence  of 
these  busy  and  faithful  workers,  boxes  filled  with  clothing,  bedding, 
and  other  valuable  articles  for  household  use  have  been  made  by 
them  and  from  year  to  year  forwarded  to  their  destination  in  aid  of 
the  charitable  enterprises  above  named,  of  the  aggregate  appraised 
value  of  $3,305. 


THE    HOLLIS    BAPTIST    SOCIETY. 


i  It  appears  from  the  published  minutes  of  the  Boston  and  New 
Hampshire  Baptist  Association,  that  a  Baptist  church  existed  in 
Hollis  as  early  as  1791,  and  that  in  the  years  1810  and  1811  it  num- 
bered forty-nine  members,  but  I  do  not  find  that  the  society  then  had 
either  minister  or  meeting-house.  As  those  "  minutes"  contain  no 
report  of  any  Baptist  church  in  Hollis  between  181 1  and  1836  it  is  to 
be  presumed  that  the  church  first  formed,  was  dissolved  soon  after 
1811.  But  it  is  within  the  recollection  of  many  persons  now  living, 
that  between  the  years  1816  and  1823,  Rev.  Benjamin  Paul,  a  very 
worthy  colored  Baptist  minister,  had  charge  of  a  small  Baptist 


252  BAPTIST    SOCIETY. 

society  composed  of  members  living  in  part  in  the  east  part  of 
Hollis  and  partly  in  Dunstable.  No  record  of  this  society  is  known 
to  exist  and  it  is  supposed  also  to  have  been  dissolved. 

After  1823  no  Baptist  society  is  known  to  have  been  formed  in 
Hollis  till  March  31,  1836,  when  a  new  society  of  that  denomina- 
tion was  organized,  and  the  following  officers  then  chosen,  viz., 
William  N.  Bradstreet  and  Amos  Hagget,  Directors;  William  F. 
Burrows,  Clerk ;  William  N.  Bradstreet,  Treasurer,  and  Asa 
Jaquith,  Collector.  The  church-  was  formed  June  6,  1837,  then 
consisting  of  twenty-eight  members,  and  took  the  name  of  the 
"First  Baptist  Church  in  Hollis."  The  Deacons  of  the  church 
at  that  time  chosen  were  Abraham  Temple  Hardy  and  Amos 
Hagget.  In  April  1841,  on  the  removal  of  Dea.  Hardy  from  the 
town,  Dea.  Leonard  W.  Farley  was  elected  in  his  place.  The 
church  from  the  time  of  its  formation  continued  to  increase,  from 
year  to  year,  till  September  1843,  when  it  consisted  of  one  hundred 
members,  with  a  Sabbath  school  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  pupils. 
After  1843,  its  numbers  gradually  diminished.  The  clergymen  who 
have  acted  as  pastors  of  the  church  have  officiated  in  the  following 
order :  Rev.  Phineas  Richardson,  Rev.  Daniel  P.  Deming,  Rev. 
H.  W.  Dalton,  Rev.  Bartlett  Pease  and  Rev.  George  B.  Bills.  In 
the  year  1838  this  society  built  a  convenient  and  substantial  meet- 
ing-house, on  the  east  side  of  the  Hollis  common,  with  fifty  pews, 
and  at  a  cost  of  $2,000. 

Rev.  Mr.  Richardson  is  said  to  have  begun  to  preach  in  Hollis 
the  year  before  this  society  was  formed,  and  was  a  popular,  faithful 
and  successful  pastor  of  the  church  for  about  twelve  years.  He  was 
born  in  Methuen,  Mass.,  February  2,  1787,  and  was  self  educated, 
with  the  exception  of  studying  for  a  few  months  with  Rev.  Dr. 
Chaplin  of  Danvers.  He  was  ordained  to  the  work  of  the  ministry 
at  Methuen,  in  1817,  and  was  for  some  years  afterwards  employed 
as  an  evangelist,  but  for  eighteen  years  next  previous  to  his  coming 
to  Hollis  he  was  pastor  of  the  Baptist  church  in  Gilmanton,  N.  H. 
Mr.  Richardson  resigned  his  pastorate  in  Hollis  on  account  of  feeble 
health  and  removed  to  Lawrence,  Mass.  His  last  pastorate  of  four 
years  was  at  New  Hampton,  N.  H.  Died  at  Lawrence,  January 
25,  1860,  in  his  83d  year. 

Mr.  Richardson  was  succeeded  in  the  pastorate  at  Hollis  by  Rev. 
Mr.  Deming  who  supplied  the  pulpit  for  about  six  years,  till  the 
year  1854,  wnen  ne  removed, to  Goftstown,  and  was  pastor  of  the 


BAPTIST    SOCIETY.  253 

Baptist  church  at  Goffstown  for  the  next  four  years.  Upon  his  re- 
moval from  Goffstown  he  became  the  pastor  of  the  Baptist  church  at 
Cornish,  N.  H.  for  the  next  seven  years.  Mr.  Deming  (1879)  now 
resides  in  Plainfield,  N.  H.  He  was  succeeded  in  Hollis  by  Rev. 
Mr.  Dalton,  who  officiated  as  pastor  for  about  two  years,  and  upon 
his  removal  the  church  was  supplied  for  a  short  time  by  Rev.  Mr. 
Pease,  who  was  succeeded  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Bills,  the  last  minister 
of  the  society,  for  about  a  year.  For  the  last  sixteen  years,  the 
church  has  had  no  minister  or  stated  preaching,  and  in  the  year 
1869,  in  pursuance  of  a  vote  of  the  society,  the  meeting-house,  built 
in  1838,  was  sold,  taken  down  and  removed  to  Nashua. 


254 


MUNICIPAL   HISTORY. 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 

PARISH     OFFICERS     OF    WEST    DUNSTABLE    FROM    1 739,    TO     1746. 

OFFICERS     OF     THE     DISTRICT     OF     DUNSTABLE     PROM     1742     TO 

1746. FULL     LISTS     OF     THE    TOWN     OFFICERS    OF    HOLLIS    FOR 

THE    FIRST    AND  THIRD  YEARS. MODERATORS    OF    THE    ANNUAL 

TOWN    MEETINGS. TOWN    CLERKS. TREASURERS  AND  SELECT- 
MEN   FROM    1746    TO    1878. 

PARISH    OFFICERS    OF   WEST    DUNSTABLE. 

First   Election    January   2,    1739-40.    O.    S. 


Abraham  Taylor,  Moderator. 
Abraham  Taylor,  Assessor. 
Peter  Powers,  " 

Benjamin  Farley,          " 
Moses  Proctor,  Collector. 
Thomas  Dinsmore,   Collector  non-resident . 
Taxes. 


Stephen  Hanis,  Treasurer. 

Benjamin  Farley,  Auditor. 

Moses  Proctor,  " 

Abraham   Taylor,  Com.  to  run  Parish  lines 

Peter  Powers,  "  "  " 

Thomas  Dinsmore,        "  "  " 


Second  Election,  March,  1740—1,    O.  S. 


Peter  Powers,  Moderator. 
Abraham  Taylor,  Clerk. 
Benjamin  Farley,  Assessor. 
Willam  Colburn,  " 

Jerahmael  Cumings,      " 


Thomas  Dinsmore,  Treasurer. 
Stephen  Harris,  Parish  Committee. 
Thomas  Dinsmore,     "  " 

Peter  Powers,  "  " 

David  Nevins,  Collector. 


Third  Election,  March  4,  1742-3,  O. 


Abraham  Taylor,  Moderator. 
Abraham  Taylor,  Clerk. 
Peter  Powers,  Collector. 
Abraham   Taylor,  Assessor. 


Eleazei  Flagg,  Assessor. 
Enoch  Hunt,  " 

Jonathan  Danforth       " 
Thomas  Patch,  " 


Fourth  Election,  March,  1743-4,  O.  S. 


Samuel  Cumings,  Moderator. 
John  Boynton,  Clerk. 
John    Boynton,    Assessor. 
Samuel  Cumings,         " 


Jonathan  Danforth,  Assessor. 
Jerahmael  Cumings,  Treasurer. 
Sephen  Harris,  Collector. 
Henry  Barton,          " 


DISTRICT    AND    TOWN    OFFICERS.  255 

Fifth  Election,  March  12,  174.4-5,  O.  S. 

Samuel  Brown,  Moderator.  John  Boynton,  Clerk. 

John   Boynton,  Assessor.  Elias  Smith,  Treasurer. 

Thomas  Patch,  "  Josiah   Blood,   Collector. 

Jerahmael  Cumings,  "  Stephen  Ames,         '« 

OFFICERS'  OF    THE    DISTRICT    OF    DUNSTABLE,    FROM    1742    TO    1746. 

The  district  of  Dunstable,  as  we  have  stated,  (pp.  44,  45,  ante.) 
was  organized  by  the  New  Hampshire  General  Court  in  March,  1 742, 
for  the  purpose  of  assessing  and  collecting  province  taxes,  and  com- 
prised all  the  territory  afterwards  embraced  in  the  towns  of  Dun- 
stable.  Hollis,  Merrimack  and  Monson,  as  chartered  in  April,  1746. 
The  meetings  for  the  choice  of  district  officers  appear  to  have  been 
held,  alternately,  in  the  East  Parish  of  Dunstable.  and  at  the  old  or 
first  meeting-house  in  West  Dunstable.  The  district  officers  chosen 
at  these  meetings  were,  a  Moderator,  Clerk,  Assessors  and  Collec- 
tors, and  were  about  equally  divided  in 'respect  to  residence,  between 
the  East  and  West  Parishes.  Of  the  officers  named  in  the  lists 
below,  Blanchard,  Harwood,  Lovewell,  Lund  and  Parker  lived  in 
the  East  Parish,  and  Boynton,  the  two  Cumings,  Hunt,  Proctor, 
Smith  and  Taylor  in  West  Dunstable,  now  Hollis. 

first  District  Election,  April  23,  1742, 

Joseph  Blanchard,  Moderator.  Abraham   Taylor,  Assessor. 

Abraham  Taylor,  Clerk.  Thomas  Harwood,          '« 

Enoch  Hunt,  Collector.  Samuel  Cumings,  " 

Henry  Parker,       "  Jonathan  Lovewell,         " 

Second  Election,  September  18,  1744. 

Joseph  Blanchard,  Moderator.  John   Boynton,  Assessor. 

John  Boynton,  Clerk.  Jonathan  Lovewell,  " 

Jerahmael  Cumings,  " 

Third  Election,  September  ig,  1745. 

Elias  Smith,  Moderator.  John   Boynton,  Assessor. 

John  Boynton,  Clerk.  Jonathan  Lovewell,     " 

Moses  Proctor,  Collector.  Jerahmael  Cumings,  '« 
Jonathan  Lund,          " 

The  charter  of  Hollis  as  a  town,  as  we  have  seen,  was  dated 
April  3,  1746,  and  the  town  officers  chosen  at  the  fiist  and  second 
town  elections,  are  presented  in  the  lists  below. 

First  Town  Election,  April  28,  /74<5. 

Samuel  Cumings,  Moderator.  Thomas  Dinsmore,  Surveyor  of  Highways. 

Samuel  Cumings,  Clerk.  Francis  Phelps,  '<  <« 

Samuel   Cumings,   Selectman.  Nicholas  French,  "  '< 

Benjamin  Farley,  "  James  Me  Daniels,  •'  «« 


256 


DISTRICT  .AND    TOWN    OFFICERS. 


Francis  Worcester,  Selectman. 
Elias  Smith,  Constable. 
James   Stewart,  Tithing  man. 
Christopher  Lovejoy,    " 
Jonathan  Danforth,  Fence  Viewer. 
Benjamin  Blanchard,        " 


Samuel  Parker,  Surveyor  of  Highways. 
Nicholas  French,  Hog  Reeve. 
William  Adams,  " 

Elias  Smith,  Pound  Keeper. 
Elias  Smith,  Sealer  of  Weights  and  Measures. 
Samuel  Brown,  Sealer  of  Leather. 


Third  Town  Election,  March  7, 


Samuel  Cumings,  Moderator  and  Clerk. 
Francis  Worcester,  Treasurer. 
Samuel  Cumings,  Selectman, 
Benjamin  Farley,  " 

Samuel  Brown, 
Stephen  Ames,  " 

Elias  Smith,  " 

Benjamin  Blanchard,  Constable. 
Josiah  Conant,  Tithing  Man. 
Nathaniel  Blood,     "          " 
Nicholas  French,  Hog  Reeve. 
David  Nevins,  "        " 

Zerubbabel  Kemp,    "        " 
Elias  Smith,  Pound  Keeper. 


Josiah  Blood,  Fence  Viewer. 

Josiah  Brown,       "  •' 

Samuel  Farley,  Field  Driver. 

Wm.  Blanchard,    "          " 

Wm.  Shattuck,       "          " 

Zedekiah  Drury,  Surveyor  of  Highways. 

Francis  Phelps,  "        "  " 

Benj.  Blanchard,  Jr.,  "        "  " 

James  McDonald,        "        "  " 

Nathaniel  Blood,          "        "  " 

Sam'l  Brown,  Sealer  of  Weights  and  Measures 

William  Tenney,  Sealer  of  Leather, 

Zedekiah  Drury,  Deer  Reeve, 

Samuel  Farley,        "          " 


Such  as  shown  in  the  preceding  lists  were  the  town  officers, 
chosen  at  the  annual  March  meetings  in  Hollis,  in  most  years,  from 
1746  till  the  war  of  the  Revolution  and  for  some  years  afterwards. 
Under  the  Province  laws  in  force  before  the  Revolution,  the  number 
of  Selectmen,  as  has  been  before  said,  might  vary  in  different  years, 
a  town  being  at  liberty  at  its  annual  meeting  to  choose  either  three, 
five,  seven  or  nine  of  these  officers  as  might  be  decided  at  the  time, 
by  vote  of  the  town.  Before  the  Revolution  the  number  of  Select- 
men annually  chosen  in  Hollis  was  either  three  or  five,  each  of 
these  numbers  having  been  elected  about  an  equal  number  of  times. 

The  following  lists  present  the  names  of  the  persons  who  have 
held  the  several  offices  of  Moderator  of  the  annual  town  meetings, 
Town  Clerk,  Treasurer  and  Selectmen  from  the  year  1746  to  1878. 
with  the  years  in  which  they  were  respectively  chosen. 

MODERATORS    OF    THE    ANNUAL    TOWN    MEETINGS. 

Samuel  Cumings,  1746,  "47,  '4?,  '49  and  '55.  Jonathan  Danforth,  1789. 

Francis  Worcester,  1750,  '51,  '52,  '53,  '54,  "58,  '60,  Reuben  Dow,  1791. 

'62, '63, '64  and '68.  Daniel  Emerson,  1798,  1801,  '02,  '03,  '04,  and 
Samuel  Goodhue,  1756  and  '57.  "09. 

John  Hale,  1761,  "65,  "66,  '67,  '69,  '70,  '71,  '73  and  Amos  Eastman,  1805  and  1806. 

"82.  Samson  Powers,  1807. 

William  Nevins,  1773  and  1774.  Benjamin  W.  Parker,  1808. 

Benjamin  Abbot,  1759.  Stephen  Jewett,  Jun.,  iSioand  iSn. 

Stephen  Jewett,  1776.  Joseph  F.  Eastman,  1813,  "13, '14, '15, '17, '18, 
Enoch  Noyes,  1777,  '78,  and  "79.  '19  '32,  '33,  '35,  '26,  '29,  '30,  '31  and  1834. 

John  Boyntoh,  1780 and  'Si.  Ambrose  Gould,  1816. 

Noah  Worcester,  1783,  "84,  "85,  '86,  '87,  '88,  '90,  Benjamin  M.  Farley,  1820,  "24,  '38  and  1839. 

'92,  '93, '94,  '95,  '96,  "97,  '99  and  1800.  Jonathan  B.  Eastman,  1831. 


MODERATORS    AND    TOWN    CLERICS. 

William  Emerson,  1827  and  1828.  Reuben  Baldwin,  1854. 

Benjamin  Pool,  1833,  '33.  Ambrose  H.  Wood,  1855. 

Ralph  E.  Tenney,  1835  to   l837>   l84°  to  l8+4>  Luther  Proctor,  1857  to  l86o»  >67>  *7°t  "73- 

'46,  '51,  '53.  Timothy  E.  Flagg,  1865,  '66,  '76. 

Stillman  Spaulding,  1845,  '84?  to  1853,  '56,  1861,  Nathan  M.  Ames,  1868. 

to  1864,  '69,  '71,  '73,  '74,  '75,  '77,  '78. 

TOWN   CLERKS    FROM    1746   TO    1878. 

Samuel   Cumings,  1746  to   1770,  except   1753,  William  Ames,  1833,  '34. 

'54,  and  '66.  Jonathan  T.  Wright,  1825  to  '29. 

Samuel  Goodhue,  1753,  '54.  Noah  Hardy,  1830,  1831. 

John  Hale,  1766.  Joseph  E.  Smith,  1833,  '33,  "4*,  '46,   '47,  and 
William  Cumings,  1771,  '73,  and  1783  to  1788.  1854  to  '59. 

Samuel  Cumings,  Jun.,  1773,  '74.  Moses  Proctor,  1834,  '35- 

Noah  Worcester,  1775  to  1779.  William  P.  Hale,  1836,  '37,  '39,  '40,  '41,  '50,  'ji 

Daniel  Emerson,  1780, 1781.  Edward  Emerson,  1838  and  1853. 

Solomon  Wheat,  1789  to  1793,  1800,  1801,  and  Reuben  Baldwin,  1843  to  '45,  '61,  *6a. 

1809  to  1816,  except  1813  and  1813.  John  Coburn,  1848. 

Jesse  Worcester,  1799.  William  P.  Saunderson,  1849. 

Daniel  Emerson,  Jun.,  1802  to  1805.  Luther  Proctor,  1853  and  '60. 

Amos  Eastman,  1806.  William  A.  Trow,  1863  to  '65. 

Benjamin  Pool,  1807,  1808.  Ebenezer  T.  Wheeler,  1866  to  '70. 

Ambrose  Gould,  1812,  1813.  Isaac  Hardy,  1871  to  '74. 

Christopher  P.  Farley,  1817  to  1819.  George  A.  Burge,  1875  to  '?*• 
Benjamin  M.  Farley,  1820  to  1823. 

TOWN   TREASURERS  FROM    1746    TO    1878. 

John  Boynton,  1746,  '47.  Josiah  Conant,  1818  to  1830. 

Francis  Worcester,  1748  to  1767.  Benjamin  Farley,    1831    to    1849,  except  1835. 

Samuel  Cumings,  1768  to  1770.  Moses  Proctor,  1833. 

Noah  Worcester,  1771  to  1773.  Ebenezer  Baldwin,  1850,  '51,  '52,  '53. 

Daniel  Emerson,,i774  to  1779,  '98,99.  Joseph  Gates,  1854. 

Josiah  Conant,  1780.  Christopher  F.  Smith,  1855. 

Solomon  Rogers,  1781  to  1785.  .  David  W.  Sawtell,  1856  to  1860. 

Christopher  Farley,  1786  to  1788.  Edward  Hardy,  1861  to  1864. 

Benjamin   Wright,  1789  to    1797   and  1800  to  Charles  B.  Richardson,  1865  to  1874. 

1806.  Henry  N.  Smith,  1875. 

Peleg  Lawrence,  1806  to  1808.  George  A.  Burge,  1876. 

Joseph  F.  Eastman,  1809  to  1817.  Silas  M.  Spaulding,  1877,  '78. 

SELECTMEN    FROM    1746   TO    1878. 

Samuel   Cumings,  1746  to   1770,  except  1753,  Samuel  Goodhue,  1750,  '51,  '53,  '54,  and  1756. 

1754  and  1766.  Benjamin  Blanchard,  1750  and  1754. 

Benjamin  Farley,  1746,  "47,  and  1748.  Zachariah  Lawrence,  1754  and  1757. 

Francis  Worcester,  1746,  '47,   '48,   '62,  '63  and  John  Cumings,  1751. 

1765.  Josiah  Conant,  1751  and  1755. 

Stephen  Ames,  1747,   "48,  '62,  '67,  '73,  '75,  '76,  Benjamin  Abbot,  1752,   '53,   '54,   '59,  '60,  and 

'77,  and  1779.  1761. 

Nathaniel  Townsend,  1747  and  '53.  John  Boynton,  1758,  '61,  '62,  '66,  '68,  '80,  and 
Samuel  Brown,  1748.  1781. 

Elias  Smith,  1748.  John  Hale,  1761,  '64,  and  1766. 

Enoch  Hunt,  1749.  Abel  Webster,  1761. 

Joshua  Wright,  1749  and  1767.  Stephen  Webster,  1762,  '63  and  1765. 

Moses  Proctor,  1749.  Samuel  Hobart,  1764  and  1766. 

Enoch  Noyes,  1749,  1751  to  1754,  1756  to  1760,  Stephen  Jewett,  1766. 

1778.  Jonas  Flagg,  1766. 

(H) 


SELECTMEN. 


Caleb  Farley,  1767. 
Jonathan  Philbrick,  1767  and  1768. 
Noah  Worcester,  1769,  "75,  '76,  '77,  "78  and  '79. 
Reuben  Dow,  1769,  '70,  '78  and  1788. 
William  Tenney,  1769. 
James  Jewett,  1769. 

William  Brown,  1771,  '73,  '95,  and  1796. 
William  Pool,  1771. 
Ebenezer  Kendall,  1771,  '72. 
William  Cumings,  1771,  '73,  and  1783  to  1788. 
William  Nevins,  1771  and  1773. 
Samuel  Cumings,  Jun.,  1773  and  1774. 
Jacob  Jewett,  Jun.,  1773,  '75,  '76. 
Nathaniel  Ball,  1773. 
Elnathan  Blood,  1773. 
Amos  Eastman,  1773. 
Leonard  Whiting,  1774. 
John  Goss,  1774,  'So,  '85,  '86,  '87,  '88. 
Daniel  Kendrick,  1775,  '76  and  1777. 
Oliver  Lawrence,  1775,  '76  and  1779. 
Daniel  Emerson,  1780,  '81. 
Jonathan  Fox,  1780  and  1781. 
William  Read,  1780. 
Solomon  Wardwell,  1783  '83. 
Ebenezer  Jewett,  1783,  '83,  '84. 
Jeremiah  Pritchard,  1784. 
Jeremiah  Ames,  1785,  '86. 
Thaddeus  Wheeler,  1787,  '89,  '90,  1806,  '07  and 

>So8. 

Nathan  Colburn,  1789,  '90,  '91,  '93,  '94,  and  '97. 
Jonas  Willoughby,  1789. 
Solomon  Wheat,  178910  1798,  1800,  '01,  '09, '10, 

'i  j,  '14,  "15  and  '16. 
Jonathan  Danforth,  1789. 
William  Tenney,  Jun.,   1791, '93,    '93, '94,  "98. 

'99  and  iSoo. 

Ephraim  Burge,  1795  and  1796. 
Jesse  Worcester,  1797,  "99  and  1800. 
Benjamin  Wright,  1798,  '99. 
Benjamin  Pool,  1801  to  1808,  1833,  '34. 
Stephen  Dow,  1801. 
Daniel   Bailey,  1803,  '03,  "04,  '05,   '09,  '10,  'n, 

'13,  and  1813. 

Amos  Eastman,  Jun.,  1806. 
Samson  Powers,  1807  and  1808. 
Enos  Hardy,  1809,  '10,  "13  and  1819. 
David  Hale,  1811. 
Ambrose  Gould,  1813  and  1813. 
Jonathan  Saunderson,  1813, '14, '15,  'i6and'i7. 
Benjamin   M.   Farley,    1815,   '16,  '17,  '18,  '30, 

'31,  '33,  '35,  '36,  '37,  '38,  and  '29. 
Christopher  P.  Farley,  1814,  '17,  '18,  and  '19. 
Nathaniel  Jewett,  1818. 
Jonathan  T.  Wheeler,  1819,  '20  and  '21. 
William  Ames,  1830,  '21,  '33,  '23  and  "34, 
Ralph  W.  Jewett,  1833. 
Thomas  Cumings,  1833  and  1834. 
Jonathan  T.  Wright,  1833  to  1839  and  1835. 
WillUmEmerson,  1835. 


Ralph  E.  Tenney,  i8»6,  '37,  '»S,  '30,  "31,  3*, 

Benjamin  Farley,  1839. 

Noah  Hardy,  1830  and  '31. 

William  Hale,  1830,  '31,  '33. 

Joseph  E.  Smith,  1833,  '33,  '43,   '46,   '47,    *ni 

1854  to  1859. 

William  Merrill,  1833  and  '34. 
Moses  Proctor,  1834  and  '35. 
Leonard  Farley,  1835,  '&,  '39. 
William  P.  Hale,  1836,  '37,  '39,  '40,  '41,  'jo,  '51. 
Almon  D.  Marshall,  1836,  '37. 
Phillips  Wood,  1837,  '38- 
John  N.  Worcester,  1838. 
Edward  Emerson,  1838  and  '53. 
Ezekiel  M.  Bradley,  1839,  '40. 
James  Wheeler,  1840,  '41. 
Samuel  Little,  1841,  '43. 
John  Farley,  1843,  '43. 
Reuben  Baldwin,  1843,  '44,  '45,  "61,  '63. 
John  L.  Pool,  1843  t°  '46- 
Win.  P.  Saunderson,  1847,  '49- 
Amos  Hardy,  1844,  "45,  '46. 
Thomas  Brown,  1847. 
John  Coburn,  1848. 
David  J.  Wright,  1848,  '49. 
Wm.  N.  Tenney,  1848,  '49. 
Luther  Proctor,  1850,  '51,  '53,  "53,  '60,  '70,  '71. 
Nehemiah  Boutwell,  1850. 
Noah  Johnson,  1851. 
Nathan  M.  Ames,  1852,  '53,  '54,  '65. 
Stillman  Spaulding,  1853. 
James  W.  Wheeler,  1854,  '56,  "57. 
Dexter  Greenwood,  1855. 
Daniel  Bailey,  1855. 
Warner  Read,  1856,  '57. 
Edward  Hardy,  1858,  "59. 
Ebenezer  T.  Wheeler,  1858. 
Joseph  D.  Parker,  1859,  '60. 
David  M.  Farley,  1860. 
John  Mooar,  1861. 
Jefferson  Farley,  1861,  '62. 
Enoch  Farley,  1862,  '63,  '64. 
Wm.  A.  Trow,  1863,  '64. 
Oliver  P.  Ea.stman,  1863,  '64. 
Charles  A.  Read,  1865,  '66,  '67. 
Francis  A.  Wood,  1865. 
Enoch  J.  Colburn,  1866. 
John  Woods,  1866  to  '69. 
Frederick  A.  Wood,  1867  to  '69. 
Charles  H.  Worcester,  1868. 
George  Moore,  1869,  "70. 
Daniel  M.  Smith,  1870,  '71. 
George  A.  Burge,  1871  to  '73. 
Silas  M.  Spaulding,  1872  to  '75. 
James  E.  Hills,  1872  to  1875. 
Adkins  J.  Turner,  1874,   '75. 
Timothy  E.  Flagg,  1876  to  '78. 
John  A.  Ccburn,  18.76  to  "78. 
Charles  W.  Hardy,  1876  to  '78. 


POLITICAL    HISTORY.  259 


CHAPTER    XXIV. 

REPRESENTATIVES     AND     DELEGATES     TO      THE      GENERAL      COURT, 

ETC.,  FROM   1739  TO   1878. VOTES  FOR  STATE  PRESIDENT  FROM 

1784    TO    1792. —  VOTES    FOR    GOVERNOR    FROM    1792    TO    1878. 

DELEGATES. 

1739,  Abraham  Taylor  and  Peter  Powers,  delegates  of  the  settlers 
in  West  Dunstable  to  the  Massachusetts  General  Court  upon 
their  petition  for  a  Charter. 

1 744,  James  Stewart,  delegate  of  the  inhabitants  of  West  Dunstable 
to  the  New  Hampshire  General  Court,  to  present  their  peti- 
tion for  Garrisons  and  Soldiers  for  protection  against  the 
Indians. 

1746,  Stephen  Ames,  delegate  of  the   settlers    in  the  west  part  of 

Hollis  to  the  New  Hampshire  General  Court,  upon  their 
petition  for  a  committee  to  locate  the  new  Meeting  House* 

1747,  Samuel  Cumings,  delegate  of  the  town  to  the  New  Hamp- 

shire General  Court,  upon  its  petition  for  an  act  for  taxing 
the  land  of  non-residents  for  the  support  of  the  ministry, 
and  also  upon  the  petition  of  the  town  for  scouts  for  -protec- 
tion against  the  Indians. 

REPRESENTATIVES     TO     THE     GENERAL     COURT     BEFORE     THE. 
REVOLUTION. 

1762  to  1768,  Dr.  John  Hale,  Representative  to  the  New  Hamp- 
shire General  Court,  six  years,  from  1762  to  1768. 

1768  to  1774,  Col.  Samuel  Hobart,  Representative  to  the  New- 
Hampshire  General  Court,  six  years,  from  1768  to  1774. 

REPRESENTATIVES     AND     DELEGATES    TO    THE    GENERAL    COURT, 
CONVENTIONS,   ETC.,   DURING    THE    WAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION. 

1774,  Stephen  Ames,  Reuben  Dow  and  Stephen  Jewett,  delegates, 
to  the  First  County  Congress,  at  Amherst.  Nov.  8,  1774- 


»6o  REPRESENTATIVES  AND  DELEGATES. 

J775»  Stephen  Jewett  and  Enoch  Noyes,  delegates  to  the  Second 

County  Congress,  held  April  5,  1775- 

William  Nevins,  Jeremiah  Ames  and  Samuel  Farley,  dele- 
gates to  the  Third  County  Congress  at  Amherst,  held  May 

M>  '775- 
Col.  John  Hale,  delegate   to   the   Provincial    Convention   at 

Exeter,  January  25,  1775,  to  consult  in  respect  to  a  Con- 
tinental Congress. 

Col.  John  Hale,  Representative  to  the  General  Court  at 
Portsmouth,  February  23,  1775- 

Col.  Samuel  Hobart,  delegate  to  the  Provincial  Congress  at 
Exeter,  April,  1775. 

Col.  John  Hale  and  Deacon  Enoch  Noyes,  chosen  delegates 
to  the  Provincial  Congress  to  meet  at  Exeter,  May  13, 
1775.  Col.  Hale  not  being  able  to  attend,  Col.  Hobart  was 
elected  in  his  place  May  21. 

1775,  November  12,  Stephen  Ames  chosen  Representative  to  the 

General  Court  for  one  year. 

1776,  November  26,  Stephen  Ames  again  chosen  Representative  to 

the  General  Court  for  one  year. 

1777,  November  25,  Stephen  Ames  chosen  Representative  a  third 

time  to  the  General  Court,  for  one  year. 

1778,  December  12,  Capt.  Reuben  Dow  chosen  Representative  to 

the  General  Court. 

April  6,  Capt.  Noah  Worcester  and  Dea.  Enoch  Noyes 
chosen  delegates  to  the  convention  at  Concord  to  form  a 
"  new  plan"  of  government. 

1779,  Col.  John  Hale,  August  12,  chosen  delegate  to  the  convention 

held  at  Concord,  September  23,  1779,  to  "state  prices." 
December  2,  Col.  John  Hale  chosen  Representative   to   the 
General  Court. 

1780,  November  23,  Col.  Hale  again  chosen  Representative  to  the 

General  Court. 

1781,  November  21,  Capt.  Daniel  Emerson   chosen  Representative 

to  the  General  Court. 

1782,  October  28,  Richard  Cutts  Shannon  chosen  Representative  to 

the  General  Court. 

1791,  August  28,  Capt.  Daniel  Emerson  chosen  delegate  to  the  New 
Hampshire  Constitutional  Convention. 


VOTES  FOR  STATE  PRESIDENT  AND  GOVERNOR.       26l 

REPRESENTATIVES  TO  THE  GENERAL  COURT,  FROM  I7§3  TO 

Capt.  Daniel  Emerson,  1783  to  1791,  '98,  '99,    John  L.  Pool,  1849  and  '50. 

1801,  '02,  '03,  '09,  '10  and  n.  Almon  D.  Marshall,  1851  and  1852. 

Jeremiah  Ames,  1793  to  '97  and  :8oo.  John  Farley,  1853  and  '54. 

Benjamin  Pool,  1804  to  1808.  John  S.  Haywood,  1855. 

Nathan  Thayer,  1812,  '19,  '20  and  'ai.  Maj.  James  Wheeler,  1856  and  '57. 

Daniel  Bailey,  1813.  John  H.  Cutter,  1858  and  '59. 
Benjamin  M.  Farley,  1814  to  1818  and  1624  to    Minot  Farley,  1860  and  1861, 

1829.  Luther  Proctor,  1862. 

Ralph  W.  Jewett,  1822  and  "23.  Reuben  Baldwin,  1863  and  '64. 

Jonathan  T.  Wright,  1830  and  '31.  John  Coburn,  1865  and  '66. 

Ralph  E.  Tenney,  1832,  '33,  '34  and  '45.  Timothy  E.  Flagg,  1867  and  '68. 

Moses  Proctor,  1835,  '36  and  "37.  Charles  B.  Richardson,  1869  and  '70. 

Joseph  E.  Smith,  1838  and  '39.  Charles  H.  Worcester,  1871  and  '72. 

Leonard  Farley,  1840,  '4  i  "42.  John  Woods,  1873  and  '74. 

William  Merrill,  1843  and  '44.  Charles  A.  Reed,  1875  and  "76. 

William  P.  Hale,  1846,  '47  and  48.  Franklin  Worcester,  1877  and  1878. 

Under  the  Constitution  or  "Plan"  of  Government  in  force  in 
New  Hampshire  from  1784  to  the  adoption  of  the  present  Consti- 
tution, September  5,  i792?  the  chief  magistrate  of  the  State  had  the 
title  of  "  President"  instead  of  Governor,  and  was  elected  in  the 
like  manner  as  the  Governor  now  is  under  the  present  Constitution. 


VOTES   FOR    STATE    PRESIDENT  FROM    1784   TO    1792    INCLUSIVE. 

1784,  Meshech  Weare,  87  1789,  John  Pickering,  35 
John  Langdon,                                 i  Josiah  Bartlett,  18 

1785,  John  Langdon,  153  all  cast.          John  Sullivan,  17    . 

1786,  John  Langdon,  103    "     "  Woodbury  Langdon,  15 

1787,  John  Langdon,  106  1790,  John  Pickering,  85  all  cast. 
John  Sullivan,                                14  I79Ii  Josiah  Bartlett,  105    "     " 

1788,  John  Langdon,  no  1792,  Josiah  Bartlett,  103    "     " 
John  Sullivan,                                 8 


VOTES    FOR  GOVERNOR    (EXCEPT  SCATTERING)   FROM   1793  TO   1878, 

INCLUSIVE. 

1793,  John  Taylor  Oilman,  75  1803,  John  Taylor  Oilman,  116 
Josiah  Bartlett,  23  John  Langdon,  42 

1794,  John  Taylor  Oilman,  78  all  cast. 1804,  John  Langdon,  92 

1795,  John  Taylor  Oilman,  83      "  John  Taylor  Oilman,  79 

1796,  John  Taylor  Oilman,  105      "  1805,  John  Langdon,  127 

1797,  John  Taylor  Oilman,  113      "  John  Taylor  Oilman,  105 

1798,  John  Taylor  Oilman,  115      "  1806,  John  Langdon,  199 

1799,  John  Taylor  Oilman,  123      "  Timothy  Farrar,  99 

1800,  John  Taylor  Gilman,  97  i8o7,John  Langdon,  116 
Timothy  Walker,  15  Timothy  Farrar,  44 

1801,  John  Taylor  Gilman,  87  iSoS,  John  Langdon,  122 
John  Langdon,  27  Timothy  Farrar,  i 

i8oa,  John  Taylor  Gilman,  95  1809,  Jeremiah  Smith,  139 

John  Langdon,  53  John  Langdon,  118 


262 


VOTES    FOR    GOVERNOR. 


1810,  Jeremiah  Smith,  133 

John  Langdon,  108 

i Si  i,  Jeremiah  Smith.  138 

John  Langdon,  108 

1813,  John  Taylor  Oilman,  141 

William  Plumer,  107 

1813,  John  Taylor  Oilman,  157 

William  Plumer,  105 

1814,  John  Taylor  Oilman,  169 

William  Plumer,  105 

1815,  John  Taylor  Oilman,  167 
William  Plumer,  in 

1816,  James  Sheafe,  134 
William  Plumer,  107 

1817,  James  Sheafe,  146 
William  Plumer,  103 

1818,  William  Hale,  142 
William  Plumer,  97 

1819,  William  Hale,  137 
Samuel  Bell,  67 

iSao,  Samuel  Bell,  06 

iSai,  Samuel  Bell,  84 

David  L.  Morrill,  17 

i8aa,  Samuel  Bell,  94 

1833,  Levi  Woodbury,  130 
Samuel  Dinsmore,  65 

1834,  Jeremiah  Smith,  100 
David  L.  Morrill,  79 
Levi  Woodbury,  50 

1835,  David  L.  Morrill,  194 
i8a6,  David  L.  Morrill,  176 

Benjamin  Pierce,  34 

1837,  Benjamin  Pierce,  76 

David  L.  Morrill,  33 

iSaS,  John  Bell,  198 

Benjamin  Pierce,  81 

1839,  John  Bell,  159 

Benjamin  Pierce,  116 

1830  Timothy  Upham,  155 

Matthew  Harvey,  136 

1831,  Samuel  Dinsmore,  150 

Ichabod  Bartlett,  146 

1833,  Samuel  Dinsmore,  141 

Ichabod  Bartlett,  133 

1833,  Samuel  Dinsmore,  175 
Charles  H.  Atherton,  18 

1834,  William  Badger,  133 

1835,  William  Badger,  134 
Joseph  Healey,  95 

1836,  Isaac  Hill,  1 14 

1837,  Isaac  Hill,  99 

1838,  James  Wilson,  Jun.,  168 
Isaac  Hill,  135 

1839,  James  Wilson,  Jun.,  i$» 
John  Page,  131 

1840,  John  Page,  159 
Bnos  Stevens,  135 


1841,  John  Page,  163 

Enos  Stevens,  137 

1843,  Henry  Hubbard,  159 

Enos  Stevens,  108 

1843,  Henry  Hubbard,  157 
Anthony  Colby,  83 

1844,  John  H.  Steele,  151 
Anthony  Colby,  81 
Daniel  Hoyt,  33 

1845,  John  H-  Steele,  138 
Anthony  Colby,  66 
Daniel  Hoyt,  *8 

1846,  Jared  W.  Williams.  131 
Anthony  Colby,  93 
Nathaniel  S.  Berry,  37 

1847,  Jared  W.  Williams,  156 
Anthony  Colby,  107 
Nathaniel  S.  Berry,  33 

1848,  Jared  W.  Williams,  168 
Nathaniel  S.  Berry,  150 

1849,  Samuel  Dinsmore,  151 
Levi  Chamberlain,  118 
Nathaniel  S.  Berry,  30 

1850,  Samuel  Dinsmore,  156 
Levi  Chamberlain,  130 

1851,  Samuel  Dinsmore,  153 
Thomas  E.  Sawyer,  107 
John  Atwood,  43 

1853,  Noah  Martin,  157 

Thomas  E.  Sawyer,  136 

John  Atwood,  39 

1853,  Noah  Martin,  157 
James  Bell,  90 
John  H.  White,  33 

1854,  Nathaniel  B.  Baker,  135 
James  Bell,  96 
Jared  Perkins,  37 

1855,  Ralph  Metcalf,  155 
Nathaniel  B.  Baker,  143 
James  Bell,  11 

1856,  Ralph  Metcalf,  141 
John  S.  Wells,  163 
Ichabod  Goodwin,  10 

1857,  William  Haile,  157 
John  S.  Wells,  165 

1858,  William  Haile,  171 
Asa  P.  Cate,  168 

1859,  Asa  P.  Cate,  197 
Ichabod  Goodwin,  171 

1860,  Ichabod  Goodwin,  148 
Asa  P.  Cate,  184 

1861,  Nathaniel  S.  Berry,  141 
George  Stark,  179 

1863,  Nathaniel  S.  Berry,  138 

George  Stark,  150 

1863,  Ira  A.  Eastman,  164 

Joseph  A.  Gilmore,  131 


VOTES    FOR    GOVERNOR. 


263 


1864,  Joseph  A.  Gilmore,  149 
Edward  W.  Harrington,  156 

1865,  Frederick  Smyth,  174 
Edward  W.  Harrington,  156 

1866,  Frederick  Smyth,  175 
John  G.  Sinclair,  147 

1867,  Walter  Harriman,  189 
John  G.  Sinclair,  144 

1868,  Walter  Harriman,  179 
John  G.  Sinclair,  158 

1869,  Onslow  Stearns,  168 
John  Bedell,  144 

1870,  Onslow  Stearns,  154 
John  Bedell,  136 

1871,  James  A.  Weston,  ija 
James  Pike,  153 


1871,  Ezekiel  A.  Straw,  167 

James  A.  Weston,  161 

1873,  Ezekiel  A.  Straw,  155 
James  A.  Weston,  140 

1874,  Luther  McCutchins,  151 
James  A.  Weston,  1JJ 

1875,  Person  C.  Cheney,  160 
Hiram  R.  Roberts,  143 

1876,  Person  C.  Cheney,  173 

Daniel  Marcy,  145 

1877,  Benjamin  F.  Prescbtt,  168 
Daniel  Marcy,  136 

1878,  Benjamin  F.  Prescott,  161 
Frank  A.  McKean,  148 

1878,  (Nov.)  Natt  Head,  157 

Frank  A.  Me  Kean,  ity 


STATISTICAL    HISTORY. 


CHAPTER    XXV. 

AREA. SOIL. — PRODUCTIONS. STREAMS    AND     PONDS. FOREST 

TREES. — COOPERING. POPULATION. — BIRTHS    AND    DEATHS. 

POSTMASTERS. TAVERN-KEEPERS. — JUSTICES    OF    THE    PEACE. 

BURIAL    GROUNDS. — PUBLIC    ROADS. MUTUAL    INSURANCE  COM- 
PANY. 

AREA,    SOIL   AND    PRODUCTIONS. 

Hollis  is  in  latitude  42  degrees,  44  minutes  north,  lying  on  the 
south  line  of  the  State,  and  bounded  north  by  Amherst  and  Milford, 
east  by  Nashua,  south  by  Pepperell,  Mass.,  and  west  by  Brookline. 
It  is  forty-two  miles  northwest  of  Boston,  and  thirty-six  south  of 
Concord,  and  has  an  area  of-  19,620  acres  or  about  30  2-3  square 
miles.  Its  surface  is  much  diversified  with  hills  and  valleys,  but 
generally  more  level  than  that  of  most  towns  in  the  county,  there 
being  no  mountains,  and  Flint's  and  Birch  hills,  its  highest  eleva- 
tions, not  exceeding  about  three  hundred  feet  in  height  above  the 
surrounding  plains.  The  soil  in  different  parts  varies;  a  small 
portion  of  it  being  light  and  sandy,  some  of  it  in  the  north  and 
west  hard  and  stony,  but  an  unusual  proportion  of  it  in  other  sec- 
tions, consisting  of  a  rich,  somewhat  pebbly  or  slaty  loam,  well 
adapted  to  pasturage,  and  the  raising  of  hay,  corn,  small  grains, 
fruits,  potatoes  and  other  vegetables.  It  has,  for  many  years, 
been  noted  for  its  abundance  of  good  fruit,  especially  apples,  the 
produce  of  its  orchards,  according  to  the  returns  of  the  census,  being 
more  in  value  than  that  of  any  other  town  in  the  county.  That 
very  excellent  and  popular  apple,  known  as  the  "Nod  head,"  some- 
times called  in  fruit  books,  "Jewett's  fine  red, ".originated  in  Hollis, 
about  one  hundred  years  ago,  in  the  orchard  of  Dea.  Stephen  Jewett, 
hence  the  last  name.  The  town  in  all  parts  of  it  is  well  watered, 
scarcely  any  of  its  farms  being  without  perennial  brooks  or  springs. 

The  householders  of  the  town,  from  its  first  settlement,  have  been 


STATISTICAL    HISTORY.  265 

mostly  farmers,  with  such  numbers  of  traders,  inn-keepers,  black- 
smiths, carpenters,  shoemakers  and  other  mechanics  as  were  needed 
for  the  wants  of  the  other  inhabitants.  In  the  past,  as  now,  the 
farms  have  been  of  moderate  size,  ordinarily  varying  from  fifty 
acres  to  one  hundred  and  fifty.  The  New  Hampshire  Gazetteer  of 
1874  says  of  it,  "That  Hollis  is  one  of  the  wealthiest  towns  in  the 
county,  and  that  everything  pertaining  to  the  farms  and  farmhouses 
betokens  an  air  of  wealth  and  thrift."  A  compliment  well  deserved 
as  to  many  of  them,  but  subject  to  exceptions. 

In  1783,  as  shown  by  the  census  then  taken,  there  were  in  the 
town  1,392  inhabitants,  174  dwelling-houses  and  144  barns.  Num- 
bers of  those  dwelling-houses  are  still  standing,  many  and  it  may 
be  most  of  them  of  two  stories,  and  of  generous  size.  In  1800  the 
population  had  increased  to  1,557,  aDOUt  500  more  than  at  present; 
and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  number  of  farms  and  farm-houses 
in  the  town,  and  of  acres  tilled,  was  quite  as  large  then  as  now, 
and  also  that  the  quantities  of  grain,  and  the  numbers  of  oxen  and 
sheep  were  larger.  Sixty  years  ago  the  hay  raised  in  the  town  was 
fed  out  on  the  farms  where  it  grew.  Now  a  large  portion  of  it, 
with  the  other  surplus  agricultural  and  horticultural  produce  of  the 
farms,  finds  its  way  to  the  neighboring  markets.  Then  substantial 
and  thrifty  farmers  had  each  his  flock  of  sheep  and  patch  of  flax, 
and  the  farmer's  wife  and  daughters  were  skilled  in  the  use  of  the 
distaff,  spinning-wheel  and  hand-loom,  for  making  the  family  cloth- 
ing from  the  wool  and  flax  furnished  from  the  farm.  Now  such 
implements  of  female  thrift  and  industry  are  known  only  as  histori- 
cal curiosities.  Large  quantities  of  excellent  butter  and  also  of 
cheese,  of  a  much  superior  quality  to  that  which  the  markets  now 
furnish  from  our  modern  cheese  factories,  were  made  in  the  family, 
first  for  the  family's  use,  but  with  a  generous  surplus  for  sale. 
Now  this  industry  to  a  very  great  extent  has  been  abandoned,  and 
in  place  of  it,  the  milk  produced  in  the  town,  to  the  amount,  as 
reported,  of  350,000  quarts  yearly,  is  sent  to  market.  Formerly 
large  quantities  of  corn,  rye  and  other  grains  raised  in  the  town 
were  also  annually  sent  to  market  abroad ;  now,  to  a  considerable 
extent,  Hollis  itself  has  become  a  market  for  the  purchase  of  the 
like  products. 

Still  it  may  be  that  the  aggregate  wealth  of  the  town,  with  its 
diminished  population  a.nd  lessened  productions  in  some  articles,  is 
greater  now  than  sixty  years  ago.  In  1872  its  assessed  value  for 


366  RIVERS,    PONDS    AND    BROOKS. 

taxation  was  $803,435,  true  value  estimated  at  $1,205,152, —  money 
at  interest  and  stocks,  $41,692, —  money  in  Savings  Banks,  $168,710 
— these  items  being  larger,  with  but  one  or  two  exceptions,  than 
the  like  items  in  any  other  town  in  the  county,  mainly  agricultural. 

It  is  shown  by  the  United  States  census  of  1870  that  there  were 
then  in  the  town  10,805  acres  °f  improved  land,  203  horses,  1,171 
neat  cattle,  123  sheep  and  237  swine,  of  the  aggregate  value  of 
$72,425.  Also  that  there  were  raised  that  year  in  the  town  1,090 
bushels  of  rye,  7,769  of  corn,  6,844  °f  oats  and  barley,  26  of  wheat, 
320  of  peas  and  beans,  11,368  of  potatoes,  and  511  pounds  of  wool. 
That  there  were  also  made  25, 510  pounds  of  butter,  4,505  of  cheese, 
and  2,370  of  sugar.  The  value  of  the  products  of  the  orchard  the 
same  year  was  $10,436;  of  animals  sold  or  slaughtered  $16,183; 
gallons  of  milk  sold,  88,310;  tons  of  hay  raised,  2,575  ;  the  aggre- 
gate value  of  farm  products  (including  betterments)  being  $133,321. 

According  to  the  same  census  there  were  then  in  the  town  seven 
saw-mills,  with  a  capital  of  $13,000,  employing  thirteen  hands, 
with  a  pay-roll  of  $3,000,  and  sawing  1,400,000  feet  of  lumber,  of 
the  value  of  $21,000;  also  one  grain  mill.  The  whole  amount 
of  capital  then  invested  in  manufactures  of  different  kinds  was 
$28,000.  employing  thirty-four  men,  with  a  pay-roll  of  $12,000, 
and  with  a  product  for  the  year  of  the  value  of  $43,000.  In  1820, 
as  stated  in  Farmer's  New  Hampshire  Gazetteer,  there  were  in 
Hollis  five  grain  mills,  six  saw  mills,  one  clothing  mill,  one  card- 
ing machine,  one  tannery,  two  taverns  and  four  stores.  In  1878  (as 
appears)  but  one  grain  mill,  no  clothing  mill,  carding  machine, 
tannery  or  tavern,  and  but  one  store. 

RIVERS,  PONDS    AND    BROOKS. 

As  has  been  said  already,  the  town,  in  all  parts  of  it,  is  well 
watered.  Its  south-east  part  is  crossed  by  the  Nashua  river,  and  its 
south-west  by  the  Nissitissit.  Besides  several  smaller  ponds,  there 
are  in  the  town  four  large  ones,  viz.,  Flint's  pond  in  the  east,  Rocky 
in  the  north-west,  Pennichuck  in  the  north-east,  and  Long  pond 
north  of  the  centre,  varying  in  area  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  acres. 
Brooks  of  considerable  size  form  the  outlet  of  each  of  these  ponds, 
viz.,  Flint's  brook,  flowing  into  the  Nashua,  of  Flint's  pond;  Pen- 
nichuck, emptying  into  the  Merrimack,  of  the  pond  of  the  same 
name,  and  also  of  Long  pond,  and  Rocky  Pond  brook,  flowing 
into  the  Nissitissit,  of  Rocky  pond.  Many  other  smaller  brooks  flow 


POPULATION.  267 

into  these  ponds  and  rivers,  some  of  which,  as  well  as  the  rivers  and 
the  other  brooks,  furnish  eligible  sites  for  saw  and  other  mills. 

FOREST  TREES,  LUMBER  AND  COOPERING. 

Since  its  first  settlement,  the  forests  of  Hollis  have  abounded  in  a 
large  variety  of  the  most  valuable  forest  trees,  including  white  and 
other  species  of  Oak,  Pine,  Chestnut,  Walnut,  White  and  Sugar 
Maple  and  many  other  kinds.  The  great  abundance  and  good 
quality  of  its  oak  and  chestnut  timber,  early  in  the  present  century, 
led  many  of  the  citizens  of  the  town  to  engage  in  the  manufacture 
of  barrels  and  other  casks  for  the  Boston  market,  very  many  of  the 
farmers  having  a  cooper's  shop  near  the  farm  house.  This  busi- 
ness for  many  years  was  carried  on  to  such  extent  that  it  was  some- 
times said  by  their  neighbors  of  other  towns,  "that  all  the  Hollis 
folks  were  coopers,  except  their  minister,  and  that  he  hooped  his 
own  cider  barrels  !  "  The  manufacture  of  casks  of  different  kinds 
is  still  carried  on  to  considerable  extent,  but  by  a  less  number  of 
persons  than  formerly,  pine  lumber  being  now  mainly  used  for  this 
purpose,  in  place  of  oak  and  chestnut. 

POPULATION. 

No  official  provincial  census  of  Hollis,  taken  prior  to  1767,  has 
come  down  to  us.  The  best  means  now  available  for  approximat- 
ing to  the  number  of  its  inhabitants  before  that  year,  are  furnished 
by  the  names  of  the  tax  payers,  on  the  annual  tax  lists.  The  num- 
ber of  names  on  the  tax  lists  in  West  Dunstable,  in  174°?  was 
twenty-nine, — in  1/45,  seventy- seven  ;  on  the  Hollis  tax  list  in  1746, 
the  year  of  its  incorpoiation,  fifty-three.  The  number  of  names 
found  on  these  lists  from  1746  to  1783,  was  as  below. 

'746,  53.  1755,  107.  1765,  131.  1775,  (at   the  beginning  of  the  war,)  379. 

'75°!  77-  '76Oi  117.  1771.  331-  1783,  (at  the  end  of  the  war,)  393. 

One  Pine  Hill  was  annexed  in  1763,  and  the  south  part  of  Mon- 
son  in  1770,  which  accounts  in  part  for  the  increase  of  names  on 
the  tax  lists  in  1765  and  I771'  The  whole  population  in  1767  was 
809,  including  one  male  and  one  female  slave.  In  1775,  whole 
population  1,255,  of  which  four  were  slaves.  According  to  the  sev- 
eral censuses  taken  in  different  years  since,  the  population  was  as 
presented  below. 

1783.  '393-     '800,  1557.     i8ao,  1543.     1840,  1333.     1860,  1317. 
1790,  1441.     1810,  1539.     1830,  1501.     1850.  1393.     1870,  1079. 

The  whole  population  of  New  Hampshire  in  1767  was  52,880; 
in  1775,  82,200. 


268 


POSTOFFICK    AND    POSTMASTERS. 


BIRTHS   AND    DEATHS    FROM    1794   TO    l8l8. 

It  appears  from  the  Hollis  church  records,  as  kept  by  Rev.  Eli 
Smith  from  1794  to  1818,  that  it  was  his  custom  to  enter  in  those 
records,  the  yearly  number  of  births  in  the  town,  with  the  name 
of  the  father  of  the  several  children  born.  It  is  shown  by  this  re- 
cord, that  for  the  twenty-five  years  from  1794  to  1818,  the  number 
of  births  in  the  town  annually  was  as  follows : 


'794.  4'- 

1799.  3o. 

1804,  45.    J 

809 

'795.  46- 

1800,  29. 

1805,  40. 

810 

1796,  50. 

1801,  55. 

1806,  37. 

811 

1797.  57- 

1802,  55. 

1807,  40. 

812 

1798,  41. 

1803,  51. 

iSo8,  37. 

813 

1814,  37- 

1815,  as- 

1816,  23. 

1817,  18. 

1818,  n. 


Making  in  all  907  births  in  the  twenty-five  years.  It  is  shown  in 
Farmer's  New  Hampshire  Gazetteer,  published  in  1823,  that  the 
number  of  deaths  in  Hollis  for  the  same  twenty-five  years  was  557' 
being  an  excess  of  births  over  deaths  of  340. 

POSTOFFICE    AND    POSTMASTERS. 

The  first  postmaster  appointed  in  Hollis  was  Major  Ambrose 
Gould  in  the  year  1818.  Prior  to  that  year,  there  had  been  no  post- 
office  in  Hollis,  and  letters  and  other  matters  sent  by  mail,  ad- 
dressed to  Hollis  people,  were  sent  to  the  postoffice  at  Amherst. 
The  following  list,  copied  mainly  from  the  New  Hampshire  Annual 
Registers,  exhibits  the  names  of  the  Hollis  postmasters  from  1818 
to  1879,  with  the  years  in  which  they  severally  held  the  office. 


Ambrose  Gould,      from  1818  to  1830. 

William  N.  Tenney, 

1856 

1858. 

Benoni  G.  Cutter, 

'      1830 

'  i835- 

David  W.  Sawtell, 

1858 

1862. 

Moses  Proctor, 

'      i83S    ' 

1836. 

Ebenezer  T.  Wheeler, 

1862 

1867. 

William  Butterfield, 

'      1836 

'  1840. 

William  A.  Trow, 

1867 

»87S- 

Franklin  Wright, 

•      1840 

'  '845- 

Henry  N.  Smith, 

1875 

1877. 

Edward  Emerson, 

'      iS4S 

'  iS54- 

George  A.  Burge, 

1877 

1879- 

Reuben  Baldwin,         '      1854     '  1856. 

In  the  year  1794,  with  a  population  in  the  State  of  141,885,  the 
number  of  postoffices  in  the  State  was  but  five.  In  1802 — pop- 
ulation of  the  State,  183,858.  Number  of  postoffices,  twenty-eight. 
In  1818 — population,  214,460.  Number  of  postoffices,  sixty-eight. 
In  1860  —  population  326,073.  Number  of  postoffices  three  hun- 
dred and  seventy-two.  Since  1860  the  number  of  postoffices  in  the 
State  is  supposed  to  have  considerably  increased. 

TAVERN    KEEPERS    FROM    1792    TO    1 82 1. 

With  but  one  or  two  exceptions,  I  have  been  unable  to  learn  the 
names  of  the  Tavern  Keepers  in  Hollis  previously  to  i792>  *n 


JUSTICES    OF   THE    PEACE.  269 

that  year  the  New  Hampshire  General  Court  passed  an  Act  au- 
thorizing the  Selectmen  of  towns  to  grant  licenses  to  keep  tavern  to 
"suitable  persons,"  having  "accommodations"  who  might  make 
application,  with  the  right  to  sell  by  retail  rum,  brandy,  wine,  gin 
and  other  spirituous  liquors — such  license,  unless  renewed,  to  con- 
tinue but  one  year.  It  appears  from  a  record  of  their  doings  kept 
by  the  Selectmen,  that  between  the  years  1792  and  1821,  licenses 
to  keep  tavern  in  Hollis  were  granted  to  the  several  persons  named 
below,  and  to  most  of  them  in  several  different  years.  In  1793,  to 
William  W.  Pool  and  to  widow  Sarah  Eastman;  1794  to  Capt. 
Leonard  Whiting  ;  1795  to  Leonard  Whiting,  Jun.  ;  1796  to  Capt. 
B.  Woods  Parker,  and  John  Smith  ;  1806  to  Daniel  Emerson,  Esq., 
Benjamin  Pool,  Daniel  Merrill  and  Ambrose  Gould  ;  1812  to  Ben- 
jamin Farley,  Peleg  Lawrence  and  Nehemiah  Woods;  1818  to 
Charles  Farley,  Luther  Parker  and  Joseph  Patch;  1821  to  Miss 
Mary  Woods,  Dr.  Noah  Hardy,  and  Samuel  G.  Jewett. 

JUSTICES    OF    THE    PEACE. 

The  Justices  of  the  Peace  in  Hollis,  prior  to  the  war  of  the  Rev- 
olution, have  been  spoken  of  in  a  former  chapter.  During  the  war, 
(in  the  year  1777)  Noah  Worcester  was  appointed  to  this  office  and 
continued  to  hold  it  afterwards  till  his  death  in  1817-  Also  during 
the  war,  or  soon  after  it,  Dea.  Daniel  Emerson  was  commissioned 
a  Justice  of  the  Peace  and  Quorum,  which  office  he  continued  to 
hold  till  his  decease  in  1820.  From  the  close  of  the  war  till  1808, 
a  period  of  near  thirty  years,  with  a  population  in  Hollis  averaging 
near  1500,  Messrs.  Emerson  and  Worcester  were  the  only  Justices 
of  the  Peace  in  the  town.  For  the  next  twenty-two  years,  from 
1808  to  1830,  but  seven  other  citizens  of  Hollis  were  appointed  to 
that  office,  viz.,  in  1808,  Benjamin  Pool,  Amos  Eastman  and  Wil- 
liam Ames;  in  1813,  Benjamin  Farley;  in  1816,  Benjamin  M. 
Farley ;  in  1822,  Nathan  Thayer,  and  in  1830,  Christopher  P. 
Farley. 

In  the  early  civil  history  of  our  State,  this  office  of  Justice  of  the 
Peace  involved  responsible  and  very  important  public  duties  and 
also  implied  capacity  on  the  part  of  such  magistrates  to  discharge 
those  duties  intelligently  and  acceptably.  But  in  view  of  the  num- 
bers and  frequency  of  such  appointments  for  the  last  thirty  years 
or  more,  with  the  supposed  reasons  for  many  of  them,  one  may  be 
permitted  to  doubt  whether  the  office,  in  all  cases,  is  now  looked 


27O  .        BURIAL   GROUNDS. 

upon  as  involving  such  duties  to  the  public,  or  competency  for  their 
performance.  In  many,  not  to  say  in  a  majority  of  instances,  the 
commission  of  Justice  with  the  title  conferred  by  it,  seem  to  be  looked 
upon  as  a  matter  of  cheap  fashionable  ornament,  intended  for  per- 
sonal gratification  and  distinction,  rather  than  as  of  any  important 
practical  use  to  the  public.  Such  commissions,  as  is  understood,  add 
one  dollar  each  to  the  revenues  of  the  State,  and  the  New  Hamp- 
shire Governors  and  Council  have  become  exceedingly  obliging  and 
liberal  in  the  issue  of  official  compliments  of  this  sort  to  their  fel- 
low citizens  in  all  parts  of  the  State — especially  to  such  of  them  as 
were  known  to  be  of  like  politics  with  themselves.  There  is  no 
evidence  that  the  good  people  of  Hollis  have  been  more  bountifully 
favored  with  these  complimentary  commissions  than  the  citizens  of 
most  towns  in  other  parts  of  the  State,  yet  it  appears  from  the  sta- 
tistics to  be  found  in  the  New  Hampshire  Annual  Registers,  that 
since  the  year  1830,  no  less  than  fifty  of  the  worthy  citizens  of 
Hollis  have  been  so  favored,  (an  average  of  more  than  one  a  year) , 
and  that  no  less  than  twelve  of  them  held  such  commissions  in  1878. 
Of  this  last  number,  four,  as  appears,  were  Justices  of  the  Peace 
for  the  State  at  large,  having  jurisdiction  in  all  parts  of  it — and  one, 
of  the  quorum,  all  ex-officio,  having  the  right  to  be  addressed  by  the 
title  of  "Esquire," — also  to  issue  writs  both  in  civil  and  criminal 
cases — hold  courts — and  try  causes — and  in  all  proper  cases  to  join 
in  wedlock,  and  read  the  riot  act — the  number  of  these  officials  in 
the  town,  each  with  all  these  powers  and  duties,  being  equal  to  one 
for  each  ninety  of  the  whole  of  the  present  population. 

BURIAL    GROUNDS. 

There  are  now  in  the  town,  in  all,  five  of  those  sacred  reposito. 
ries  of  the  i-emains  of  the  dead,  the  most  ancient  of  them  near  the 
meeting-house,  older  in  fact  than  the  town  charter ;  the  next  oldest 
on  the  road  to  Amherst,  in  the  north  part  of  the  town,  within  the 
limits  of  the  extinct  town  of  Monson  ;  one  at  Pine  Hill  in  the  east 
part ;  a  fourth  about  a  mile  south  of  the  meeting-house,  on  the  road 
to  Pepperell,  laid  out  .about  fifty  years  ago;  the  fifth  near  a  mile 
east  of  the  meeting-house,  which  has  been  in  use  about  sixteen 
years.  All  of  these  grounds  are  of  moderate  extent,  no  one  ot  them 
containing  more  than  two  or  three  acres.  It  may  be  that  all  of  these 
sacred  repositories  are  kept  in  as  good  condition,  and  the  graves, 
monuments  and  gravestones  in  them  as  well  preserved  and  cared  for 


THE    PUBLIC    ROADS.  271 

as  in  most  like  public  burial  grounds  in  this  part  of  the  State,  which 
is  saying  but  very  little  in  their  favor.  Still  no  one  of  these  ceme- 
teries in  Hollis  is  now  fenced,  cared  for  and  ornamented  in  a  way 
to  do  justice  to  the  feelings  and  sentiments  which  the  descendants  of 
its  early  inhabitants  entertain  of  the  moral  worth  of  the  many  excel- 
lent and  patriotic  men,  and  exemplary  and  virtuous  women,  whose 
mortal  dust  reposes  in  them.  If  the  attention  of  the  people  of 
Hollis  is  once  properly  called  to  this  subject,  no  doubt  should  be 
indulged  that  in  this  matter,  better  justice  would  soon  be  done  alike 
to  themselves  and  to  the  memories  of  an  ancestry  of  which  they  feel 
justly  proud. 

THE    PUBLIC    ROADS. 

The  public  roads  in  Hollis,  now  leading  to  Amherst,  Pepperell, 
Nashua,  Merrimack  and  Brookline,  were  originally  laid  out  three 
rods  wide,  most  of  them  substantially  on  the  lines  where  they  still 
run.  Previous  to  or  at  the  time  the  town  was  incorporated  in  1746, 
it  was  divided  into  five  road  districts,  and  that  number  of  Surveyors 
of  Highways  was  chosen  at  the  first  town  election.  Between  that 
date  and  the  end  of  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  the  number  of  road 
districts  was  increased  to  twelve,  with  the  like  number  of  Surveyors 
rf  Highways.  At  that  time  it  was  the  custom  to  determine  by  vote 
at  the  annual  meeting,  the  amount  of  the  yearly  tax  "for  making  and 
mending  the  highways"  (all  to  be  paid  in  labor  on  the  roads)  and 
also  to  fix  by  the  like  vote,  the  sum  to  be  allowed  for  a  day's  work 
both  of  men  and  oxen.  The  amount  of  the  road  tax,  as  also  the 
wages  allowed  for  labor,  varied  in  different  years,  according  to  the 
state  of  the  currency.  From  1746  to  1765,  the  money  in  circulation 
was  mainly  what  was  afterwards  known,  as  the  "Old  Tenor"  paper 
money.  This  currency  fluctuated  in  value  from  year  to  year,  and 
the  amount  of  the  road  tax,  and  wages,  varied  with  the  value  of  the 
currency.  For  example,  in  1752  the  road  tax  was  £400  O.  T. — 
allowed  for  a  day's  work  for  a  man  30  shillings — for  a  pair  of  oxen 
10  shillings.  In  1760,  the  road  tax  was  £1000 — allowed  for  a  day's 
work  for  a  man  £5,  do.  for  oxen,  30  shillings.  In  1768,  after  the 
Old  Tenor  paper  had  gone  out  of  use,  and  "lawful"  or  silver  money 
had  taken  its  place,  the  annual  tax  for  "making  and  mending  the 
highways,"  was  £35 — allowed  for  a  man's  days  work,  2  shillings 
and  5  pence,  or  about  40  cents,  in  Federal  money — fora  pair  of  oxen 
i a  1-2  pence,  or  about  18  cents. 


272  HOLLIS    INSURANCE    COMPANY. 

During  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  when  the  taxes  were  assessed 
and  paid  in  the  old  Continental  paper  money,  the  amount  of  the  road 
tax,  and  the  wages  for  a  day's  work,  fluctuated  from  year  to  year  in 
like  manner  as  from  1746  to  1765.  The  public  roads  in  Hollis,  as 
is  evident  from  the  town  records,  were  an  object  of  much  attention, 
and  appear  to  have  been  uniformly  well  cared  for  from  its  first  settle- 
ment, and  during  the  present  century,  at  least,  they  have  been  kept 
well  graded,  smooth  and  safe,  and  now  afford  pleasant  drives, 
whether  for  business  or  pleasure,  in  all  parts  of  the  town. 

THE    HOLLIS    MUTUAL   FIRE    INSURANCE    COMPANY. 

Some  more  than  thirty  years  since,  many  ot  the  citizens  of  Hollis 
believing  that  they  might  secure  themselves  from  losses  by  fire  at 
less  expense  than  through  the  joint  stock,  or  other  fire  insurance 
companies  then  existing,  resolved  to  try  the  experiment  of  a  town 
organization  for  their  mutual  protection  from  such  losses.  With 
this  purpose  in  view,  a  public  meeting  was  held  April  7?  1846,  at 
the  hall  of  Truman  Hardy,  of  which  Dr.  Oliver  Scripture  was 
chairman,  and  resolutions  (then  reported  upon  the  subject),  adopted 
and  signed  by  fifty-three  of  their  number.  At  the  same  meeting,  a 
committee  of  six  of  them,  consisting  of  William  P.  Saundei'son, 
Joseph  E.  Smith,  Leonard  Farley,  David  J.  Wright,  Joel  Hardy 
and  Edward  Emerson,  was  appointed  to  draft  a  constitution  and 
by-laws,  and  also  to  take  the  proper  steps  to  obtain  a  charter  for  the 
association.  These  proceedings  resulted  in  the  procuring  for  the 
association  an  act  of  incorporation  at  the  June  session  of  the  General 
Court  of  the  same  year,  by  the  name  of  the  "  Hollis  Mutual  Fire 
Insurance  Company." 

The  company  was  organized  August  3,  1846,  with  the  following 
officers  then  chosen,  viz. :  President,  Ebenezer  Fox  ;  Secretary  and 
Treasurer,  Edward  Emerson  ;  Directors,  Leonard  Farley,  David  J. 
Wright,  David  W.  Sawtell,  William  P.  Saunderson,  Joel  Hardy  and 
Ambrose  H.  Wood. 

The  losses  of  this  company  for  the  thirty-two  years  of  its  existence 
to  December  i,  1878,  have  been  $3,081.74 ;  amount  of  property 
insured  $216,202 ;  amount  of  premium  notes  now  held  by  the 
company,  $13,174.95.  The  officers  of  the  company  the  present  year 
(1879)  are,  President,  Edward  Hardy;  Secretary  and  Treasurer, 
Ebenezer  T.  Wheeler;  Directors,  Edward  Hardy,  Jefferson  Farley, 
Silas  M.  Spaulding,  Ira  H.  Proctor,  Timothy  E.  Flagg,  Joseph 
Gates  and  Isaac  Vandyke. 


EDUCATIONAL    HISTORY.  2/3 


CHAPTER    XXVI. 

THE       PUBLIC       SCHOOLS. SCHOOL      LAWS      AND      TAXES. SCHOOL 

DISTRICTS. STATE    LITERARY    FUND. SCHOOL    COMMITTEES. — 

TEACHERS,    THEIR    QUALIFICATIONS     TO    TEACH,    AND    EXAMINA- 
TION.  THE    HIGH    SCHOOL. MISS    MARY    S.    FARLEY.  HOLLIS 

LIBRARY. LYCEUMS    AND    PUBLIC    LECTURES. GRADUATES    OF 

COLLEGES. 

In  a  former  chapter  I  have  spoken  of  the  school  law  in  force  in 
New  Hampshire  prior  to,  and  for  some  years  after  the  Revolution, 
and  somewhat  of  the  public  schools  in  Hollis  under  that  law. 
It  was  shown  by  that  law,  that  each  New  Hampshire  town  having 
fifty  families  was  required  to  support  a  public  school  for  teaching 
children  in  the  town  to  "  read  and  write,"  and  towns  having  one 
hundred  families  or  more,  to  maintain  a  Grammar  school  in  which 
the  "tongues"  or  dead  languages  should  be  taught.  These  schools, 
as  has  been  seen,  were  sustained  by  an  annual  tax,  voted  at  the  yearly 
March  meeting,  and  were  wholly  under  the  charge  and  control  of 
the  Selectmen.  This  school  law  remained  in  force  without  material 
change  till  1789. 

The  following  exhibit  presents  the  yearly  amount  of  the  school 
tax  voted  at  the  annual  town  meetings  in  Hollis,  from  17^0  for  the 
following  thirty-nine  years.  From  1750  to  >7°7'  this  tax  was  assessed 
in  the  "Old  Tenor"  paper  currency  ;  from  1767  inclusive,  to  1776 
in  "'Lawful  Money"  or  silver  ;  during  the  war.  in  Continental  paper 
money  or  New  Hampshire  bills  of  credit:  after  the  war.  again  in 
lawful  money  or  silver. 

SCHOOL    TAXES    FROM    1750    TO    1789. 

In  1751.  £50,  O.  T.  In  1752,  1753  and  1754,  no  school  tax : 
1755,  £100,  O.  T.  In  1756,  no  school  tax.  In  1757,  £200,  O.  T.  : 

1758.  £300.  In  1759,  1760,  1761.  1762  and  1763.  £400.  yearly,   j 
(18) 


274  SCHOOL    DISTRICTS. 

1764  and  1765,  £800,  each  year;  1766,  £600.  In  1767,  £35,  lawful 
money  or  silver.  In  1768,  1769  and  1770,  £30,  lawful  money  each 
year.  In  1771,  J772  an<^  *773'  ^3°  lawful  money,  yearly.  In  i774 
and  1775,  £50  lawful  money,  each  year.  In  1776  and  1777,  £50; 
1778,  £80;  1779,  £200;  1780,  £4000,  all  in  Continental  paper 
money.  In  1781  and  1782,  £50  each  year,  lawful  money,  and  in 
1783,  £65;  1784,  £50,  all  in  lawful  money.  In  1785,  1786,  1787, 
1788  and  1789,  £75,  lawful  money,  yearly. 

THE    SCHOOL    LAW    OF    1789. 

An  Act  of  the  General  Court  passed  in  1789,  for  the  maintaining 
and  regulating  the  New  Hampshire  public  schools,  repealed  the 
school  laws  till  that  time  in  force,  and  made  it  the  duty  of  the  Se- 
lectmen, yearly  to  assess  upon  the  inhabitants  of  each  town  £45 
upon  each  20  shillings  of  the  town's  proportion  of  the  public  taxes, 
for  the  teaching  the  children  and  youth  of  the  town  "  reading, 
writing  and  arithmetic."  It  may  be  seen  that  by  the  law  of  1789 
that  "  arithmetic  "  was  required  to  be  taught  in  the  public  schools. 
in  addition  to  "  reading  and  writing."  "  Shire  towns  and  half  shire 
towns,"  by  the  same  law,  were  required  to  maintain  a  Grammar 
school,  for  teaching  "Latin  and  Greek."  This  Act  of  1789  is 
supposed  to  have  continued  in  force  till  1805. 

| 

SCHOOL    TAXES    ASSESSED    UNDER    THE    SCHOOL     LAW    OF    1789. 

In  1790,  £90.  In  1791,  £85.  In  1792,  1793,  1794  and  1795,  £90 
yearly.  In  1796,  $400.  From  1797  to  1803,  inclusive,  $450  yearly. 
In  1804  and  1805,  $500  each  year.  In  1806,  1807  and  1808,  $700 
yearly. 

SCHOOL    DISTRICTS. 

I  find  no  statute  school  law,  in  New  Hampshire  passed,  previous 
to  the  year  1805,  requiring  or  seeming  in  its  terms  to  contemplate 
the  division  of  towns,  for  school  purposes  into  school  districts.  In 
that  year  an  Act  was  passed  by  the  General  Court,  conferring 
authority  upon  towns,  at  a  legal  meeting  called  for  the  purpose,  to 
organize  school  districts  (should  the  inhabitants  so  choose),  and 
define  their  boundaries.  This  Act,  a  few  years  later,  was  so 
amended  as  to  make  this  subdivision  of  the  towns  into  school  dis- 
tricts imperative  upon  the  town  authorities. 


SCHOOL    DISTRICTS.  275 

Still,  as  has  been  before  stated,  it  appears  from  the  town  records 
that  some  years  before  the  Revolution  Hollis  was,  in  fact,  divided 
into  local  subdistricts  for  the  support  of  its  public  schools.  These 
divisions  appear  to  have  been  wholly  voluntary  on  the  part  of  such 
of  the  inhabitants  as  were  affected  by  them,  and  as  we  have  seen 
were  called  in  the  records,  school  '•  classes,"  school  "societies,"  or 
"squadrons,"  but  I  have  not  been  able  to  find  any  record  in  respect 
to  their  location  or  the  manner  in  which  they  were  organized.  How 
many  of  these  school  "classes"  or  "squadrons"  there  may  have 
been  at  the  time  the  law  was  passed  requiring  towns  to  be  divided 
into  school  districts,  with  fixed  boundaries,  cannot  now  be  ascer- 
tained with  certainty,  but  probably  there  were  not  less  than  eight 
or  ten  of  them.  It  is  shown  by  the  town  records  that  as  early  as 
the  year  1774  the  town  voted,  "  that  the  Grammar  school  should  be 
kept  the  whole  year  in  the  four  southern  sqtiadrons,  the  other 
squadrons  to  school  out  their  money  as  usual,  except  their  propor- 
tion of  the  Grammar  school."  As  the'part  of  the  town  north  of  the 
meeting-house  was  quite  as  large  in  extent  as  that  south  of  it,  and 
probably  quite  as  populous,  there  can  be  but  little  doubt  that  before 
the  Revolution  there  were  as  many  as  eight  or  nine  of  these  school 
''  squadrons." 

After  the  passage  of  the  law  requiring  towns  to  be  divided  into 
school  districts,  with  fixed  boundaries,  we  find  that  as  early  as  the 
year  1818  there  were  in  Hollis  as  many  as  twelve  of  these  districts, 
and  this  number,  by  subdivision,  was  afterwards  increased  to 
fourteen.  These  districts  were  designated  numerically,  from  No.  i 
to  No.  14,  and  were  also  familiarly  known  and  called  by  the  fol- 
lowing names :  No.  i,  Middle,  or  Centre;  No.  2,  Pool;  No.  3, 
Pine  Hill;  No.  4,  Corner;  No.  5,  White;  No.  6,  South-west; 
No.  7,  Red;  No.  8,  North;  No.  9,  Beaver  Brook;  No.  10, 
North-west,  or  Bailey;  No.  n,  Willoughby;  No.  \2,  East;  No. 
13,  Brick;  No.  14,  Hardy. 

This  number  of  districts  continued  till  1874,  when  Nos.  i,  5,  9, 
13  and  14,  known  as  the  "Middle,"  "White,""  Beaver  Brook," 
"Brick"  and  "Hardy,"  were  united  and  consolidated  into  a  single 
district,  since  known  as  the  Union  School  District,  thus  reducing 
the  whole  number  of  districts  in  the  town  to  ten.  Upon  the  union 
of  these  districts  being  consummated,  the  old  school  buildings  in  all 
of  those  five  districts  were  abandoned  for  school  purposes  and  sold, 
and  the  new  Union  district  at  once  proceeded  to  purchase  a  beautiful 
and  sightly  school-house  lot  on  Main  street,  near  the  centre  of  the 


276  SCHOOL    DISTRICTS. 

town,  and  to  erect  upon  it  for  the  use  of  its  schools,  a  spacious, 
commodious,  well-finished  and  furnished  two-story  school-house, 
with  convenient  and  suitable  out-buildings  and  fixtures  at  the  cost  of 
about  $10,000,  in  which  its  schools  have  since  been  kept.  In  the 
year  1876,  the  "  Pine  Hill  "  and  "East"  districts  were  united  into 
one,  thus  reducing  the  whole  number  of  school  districts  in  the  town 
to  nine,  the  present  number. 

With  perhaps  the  exception  of  the  school  in  the  first  or  middle 
district,  I  am  aware  of  no  special  facts  of  general  interest,  which 
in  any  marked  degree  would  distinguish  the  public  schools  in 
Hollis  from  the  like  country  schools  in  most  other  New  Hampshire 
country  towns.  For  the  first  twenty-five  years  of  the  present  cen- 
tury, all  these  schools,  generally,  if  not  uniformly,  were  kept  by 
male  teachers  in  winter,  and  by  school  mistresses  in  summer,  and 
from  well  ascertained  facts  which  have  come  to  my  knowledge,  I 
am  led  to  the  belief  that  the  average  attendance  of  pupils  upon  them 
fifty  years  ago  was  more  than  double  of  what  it  has  been  for  the  last 
twenty-five  years.  During  the  period  last  named,  many  and  it  may 
be  most  of  these  schools  have  been  taught  by  female  teachers  both 
winter  and  summer. 

The  following  somewhat  curious  and  unique  facts  pertaining  to 
the  "  middle"  school  district  in  Hollis  are  below  presented,  substan- 
tially as  published  in  the  Nashua  Weekly  Telegraph  about  two  years 
since.  I  am  indebted  for  them  to  my  brother,  John  N.  \Vorcester, 
who  has  spent  his  life  in  Hollis,  and  has  kept  himself  well  posted 
in  its  local  history,  and  who,  with  myself,  in  our  boyhood,  was  a 
member  of  the  school  in  that  district.  With  but  slight  changes  the 
article,  as  it  appeared  in  the  Telegraph,  was  as  follows  : 

';  HOLLIS    SIXTY    YEARS    AGO." 

"In  the  year  1812,  there  were  in  the  First  or  Middle  school  dis- 
trict in  Hollis  forty-two  dwelling-houses,  at  that  time  occupied  by 
forty-eight  families,  including  widowed  mothers  whose  husbands, 
then  deceased,  had  been  residents  of  the  district.  Three  of  these 
forty-eight  families  had  no  children ;  the  remaining  forty-five  of 
them  had  had,  in  all,  three  hundred  and  eighty-four,  averaging  eight 
and  eight-fifteenths  to  each  family.  Nine  of  the  forty-five  families 
had  six  children  each  ;  seven  of  them,  seven  each  ;  four  of  them 
eight  each  ;  eight  of  them  nine  each  ;  four,  ten  each  ;  two,  eleven 
each ;  three,  twelve  each  ;  two,  thirteen  each  ;  one  fourteen,  one 
fifteen,  and  one  sixteen. 


SCHOOL    TAXES. 


277 


li  Of  these  three  hundred  and  eighty-four.children,  three  hundred 
and  twenty-nine  lived  to  adult  age  ;  sixteen  of  the  fathers  of  them 
were  soldiers  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution  ;  and  twenty-two  of  the 
sons  born  in  twelve  of  these  families  had  the  benefit  of  a  collegiate 
education. 

"  Both  the  father  and  mother  of  one  of  these  families  of  twrelve 
children  are  still  living,  (March  i,  1879),  the  father  in  his  92d 
year,  the  mother  in  her  88th,  they  having  been  married  November 
21,  1811,  sixty-seven  years  ago.  The  several  mothers  of  the  rest  of 
the  three  hundred  and  eighty-four  children  are  all  deceased.  The 
respective  ages  of  forty-two  of  these  forty-five  mothers,  at  the  time 
of  their  decease,  are  known. 

"  The  sum  of  the  ages  of  twelve  of  the  forty-two  was  six  hundred 
and  twenty-three  years,  making  the  average  age  of  each  of  the 
twelve,  fifty-one  and  eleven-twelfths  years.  The  aggregate  ages  of 
twrelve  others  of  the  forty-two  were  nine  hundred  and  twenty-two 
years,  making  their  average  age  seventy-six  and  ten-twelfths  years. 
The  sum  of  the  ages  of  the  remaining  eighteen  of  the  forty-two  was 
fifteen  hundred  and  ninety  years,  making  the  average  of  the  eighteen, 
eighty-eight  and  one-third  years.  The  foregoing  data  have  been 
gathered  from  sources  believed  to  be  correct  and  reliable,  and  they 
may  interest  others  as  well  as  myself  who  take  pleasure  in  recalling 
memories  of 

"OLDEN  TIMES." 

SCHOOL    TAXES    FROM    1808    TO    1^28. 

In  1808  the  law  relating  to  the  amount  of  taxes  to  be  raised  for 
the  public  schools  was  so  amended  as  to  require  each  town  to  raise 
for  its  schools  a  sum  equal  to  $70  for  every  one  dollar  of  the  town's 
portion  of  the  public  taxes.  In  1827  this  per  centage  was  increased 
to  $90  for  each  one  dollar  of  the  town's  share  of  other  public  taxes. 
The  amount  of  school  taxes,  annually  assessed  in  Hollis  nnder  these 
laws  from  1808  to  1828,  was  as  follows :  In  1809,  $500.  In  1810, 
1811  and  1812,  $700  each  year.  In  1813,  $500.  From  1814  to 
1828  inclusive,  $700  each  year. 

THE  STATE'S  LITERARY  SCHOOL  FUND. 

In  the  year  1828  a  law  was  passed  by  the  General  Court  in  pur- 
suance of  which  all  the  banks  in  the  State  were  taxed  at  the  rate 
of  one-half  of  one  per  cent,  on  their  capital  stock  for  the  support  of 


2f8  SCHOOL    TAXES. 

the  public  schools.  The  tax  so  raised  was  known  as  the  State's 
Literary  Fund,  and  was  required  to  be  divided  among  the  towns 
in  the  proportion  of  each  town's  share  of  the  public  State  tax.  The 
share  of  Hollis  in  this  fund  has  greatly  varied  in  the  several  years 
from  1828  to  1878,  amounting  in  some  years  to  about  $250,  and  in 
others  to  less  than  $100. 

Since  the  year  1828  the  law  in  respect  to  the  amount  of  taxes  to 
be  assessed  for  the  public  schools  has  been  several  times  changed. 
Previously  to  1842,  the  percentage  to  be  assessed  on  the  town's  pro- 
portion of  the  State  tax  was  increased  from  $90  to  $100  upon  each 
dollar  of  the  town's  proportion  of  that  tax  ;  and  again  in  1852  this 
percentage  was  increased  to  $135,  and  at  last  in  1867  to  $250  upon 
each  dollar  of  the  town's  share  of  other  public  taxes. 

SCHOOL    TAXES    FROM    1828    TO    1878. 

In  addition  to  the  Literary  Fund,  there  were  assessed  for  the  pub- 
lic schools  in  Hollis  in  each  of  the  years  named  below,  the  following 
sums  annually,  viz.,  1829  and  1830,  $700;  1831,  $660;  1832  and 
1833,  $700;  1834,  l835  and  1836,  $800 ;  1837,  $600;  l83S,  l839> 
1840,  $700;  1841,  '42,  '43,  '44,  '45,  '46,  '47,  '48  and  1849,  $800; 
1850,  $1000;  1851  and  1852,  $Soo;  1853  and  1854,  $1000;  1855* 
'S^'  '57?  '58,  '59,  '60,  '61,  '62/63,  '64  and  1865,  "the  amount  only 
'required  by  law."  1866,  $300,  in  addition  to  the  amount  required 
by  law;  1867,  '68,  '69,  '70,  '71  and  1872,  the  amount  only  required 
by  law;  1873,  $1500;  1874,  '75  and  1876,  the  amount  required  by 
law  ;  1877,  $400  in  addition  ;  1878,  $500  in  addition. 

COMMITTEES    TO    VISIT    AND    EXAMINE    SCHOOLS. 

By  the  law  in  force  in  New  Hampshire  for  about  twenty  years 
prior  to  1827,  each  town  in  the  State,  at  its  annual  meeting,  was  re- 
quired to  appoint  three  or  more  suitable  persons  to  visit  and  examine 
all  the  public  schools  in  the  town,  at  such  times  as  might  be  con- 
venient. The  first  appointment  of  committees  for  this  purpose,  to 
be  found  in  the  Hollis  records,  was  in  the  year  1806.  This  first 
committee  consisted  of  Rev.  Eli  Smith,  Dea.  Daniel  Emerson, 
Ensign  Samuel  Willoughby,  Capt.  Leonard  Whiting  and  Mr.  Amos 
Eastman.  The  powers  and  duties  of  these  committees  appear  to 
have  been  limited  to  the  visiting  and  examination  of  the  schools 
without  any  authority  to  examine  teachers. 


SCHOOL    COMMITTEES.  279 

EXAMINATION    AND    QUALIFICATIONS    OF    TEACHERS. 

It  was  enacted  by  the  school  law  passed  in  1808,  that  no  person 
should  be  deemed  qualified  to  teach  a  public  school  in  this  State 
"unless  he  or  she  should  produce  to  the  Selectmen  or  School  Com- 
mittee a  certificate  from  some  able  and  reputable  Grammar  School 
Master,.  Minister  of  the  Gospel,  or  President,  Professor,  or  Tutor  in 
some  college,  that  he  or  she  is  well  qualified  to  teach  such  school ; 
and  also  a  certificate  of  good  moral  character,  from  the  Selectmen, 
or  Minister  of  the  Parish  to  which  the  candidate  belonged.  Pro- 
vided, (however)  that  the  qualifications  of  School  Mistresses  be  re- 
quired to  extend  no  further  than  that  they  should  be  able  to  teach 
the  varioiis  sounds  and  powers  of  the  letters  of  the  English  lan- 
guage, Reading,  writing  and  English  Grammar  "  It  may  be 
observed  that  this  law  did  not  require  female  teachers  to  be  ex- 
amined at  all  in  respect  to  their  qualifications  to  teach  Arithmetic. 

In  the  year  1827  this  school  law  was  so  amended  as  to  require 
female  teachers  as  well  as  male  to  be  qualified  to  teach  the  rudiments 
of  Arithmetic  and  Geography;  and,  again,  some  years  afterwards, 
it  was  so  changed  as  to  require  all  teachers  in  the  public  schools  to 
be  qualified  to  teach  the  elements  of  History  and  such  other  suitable 
studies  as  the  School  Committee  should  judge  proper  for  the  school. 

EXAMINING    SCHOOL    COMMITTEES    FROM     1806    TO    1827. 

Rev.  Eli  Smith,  1806,    '08,   'eg,   '10,   '12,  and    Ambrose  Gould,  1811, '15,  and  1820. 

from  1812  to  1827.  John  French,  1812,  '13,  '1.4,  and  1815. 

Dea.  Daniel  Emerson,  1806  and  181 1.  Ahijah  Gould,  1815,  '17,  '18,  '19  and  1821. 

Ensign  Samuel  Wiiloughby,  i8c6and  1810.        Dr.  Noah  Hard}-,  frcm  1816  to  1827. 
C  apt.  Leonard  Whiting,  1806.  Nathan  Thayer,  1817,  '18,  '21,  '22,  '25  and  1827. 

Amos  Eastman,  i8c6and  1807.  Dr.  Peter  Manning,  1817. 

Noah  Worcester,  1807.  Capt.  Jonathan  B.  Eastman,  1817,  '18,  '19,  "si, 

William   Brown,    1807,   '08,    '09,   '12,  '13.  and  '22,  and  1824. 

1816.  Dr.  Joseph  F.  Eastman,  1823  and  1824. 

Dea.  Stephen  Jewett,  1808.  William  Emerson,  1823  and  1825. 

Dea.  Ephraim  Burge,  1809.  Capt.  Jonathan  T.  Wright,  1825  and  1837. 

Benjamin  M.  Farley,  1809,   '12,    '13,  "14,  '15,     William  Ames,  1826  and  1827 

'16,  and  from  1819  to  1826.  Ralph  E.  Tenney,  1827. 

Jesse  Worcester,  1811,  "16,  "20,  and  1826. 

SUPERINTENDING    SCHOOL    COMMITTEES. 

In  the  year  1827,  this  school  law    was  amended    in   respect  to 

s  chool    committees,  making  it  the  duty   of  towns  at  their  annual 

meetings  to  elect  or  appoint  a  Superintending  School  Committee  of 

not  less  than  three  in  number,  whose  duty  it  should  be  to  exam  ine 

all  candidates  for  teaching  in   the  public   schools  of  the  town,  and 


SCHOOL    COMMITTEES. 

also  to  visit  and  inspect  each  of  the  schools  at  least  twice  in  each 
year.  Under  this  law,  the  Superintending  Committee  in  Hollis 
varied  in  number  in  different  years,  from  three  to  seven. 

Some  years  afterwards  the  law  was  so  altered  as  to  permit  the 
town  to  elect  by  ballot  for  this  committee  so  many  persons  only  as 
the  voters  at  the  annual  meeting  might  think  fit.  In  pursuance  of 
this  law,  so  amended,  the  town  at  several  of  its  annual  meetings 
elected  but  one  person  as  Superintending  Committee,  the  person 
so  elected  being  charged  with  the  whole  duty  of  examining  candi- 
dates for  teaching,  and  visiting  and  inspecting  the  schools. 

MEMBERS     OF     THE     SUPERINTENDING     SCHOOL     COMMITTEES    FROM 

1827    TO    1878. 

Rev.  Eli  Smith,  1828,  '29  and  1830.  Joseph  F.  Eastman,  Jun.,  1841  and  1842. 
Dr.   Noah   Hardy,    1828,   '39,  '31,  '33,  '37,  '38,     William  P.  Hale,  1843  and  1844. 

'39,  '40,  '43  and  1849.  Rev.  James  Aiken,  1844. 

William  Ames,   1828,  '33,  '34,  '35,  '36,  '37,  and  William  P.  Saunderson,  1845  an<*  1846- 

i84o.  Nathan  Willoughby,  1847  and  1848. 

Nathan  Thayer,  1828,  '39  and  1830.  Dr.  John  L.  Colby,  1848. 

Joseph  Greeley,  1829.  Cyrus  Burge,  1849. 

Rev.  Leonard  Jewett,  1829,  '45  and  1846.  James  Blood,  1849  and  1850. 

Benjamin  M.  Farley,  1830,  '31,  '32,  '33,  '35,  '37,  Rev.  Daniel  P.  Deming,  1850. 

'38,  '39,  "41,  '42  and  1843.  Dr.  Lockhart  B.  Farrar,  1850. 

Edward  Emerson,   1830,   '31,  '32,  '36,  '42,  '47,  Timothy  E.  Flagg,  1851  and  1852. 

and  1854.  Andrew  Willoby,  1853,  '53,  and  1854. 

John  N.  Worcester,  1830,  '31,  '33  and  1847.  Nathan  M.  Ames,  1852  and  1858. 

Rev.   David   Perry,    from    1831    to  1842,   and  Dr.  Henry  Boynton,  1855,  '56  and  1857. 

1871.  Rev.  Pliny  B.  Day,  from  1854  to  1866. 

Dr.  Oliver  Scripture,  1833.  Dr.  Henry  W.  Willoughby,  1855,  '56,  '57,  'J8, 
Moses  Proctor,  1833  and  1838.  '59,  '62,  '67,  "68,  '69  and  1870. 

Joseph  E.  Smith,  1834,  '35,  '36, '43,  '44,  '51,  and  Dr.  George  P.  Greeley,  1860. 

1852.  Dea.  James  D.  Hills,  1861. 

Taylor  G.  Worcester,  1834, '35,  '&  '38>  '44>'4^>  David  Worcester,  1867. 

'60  and  1871.  Rev.  James  Laird,  1871  and  1873- 

Rev.  Phineas  Richardson,  from  1839  to  '844.  Levi  Abbot,  1873,  '74,  '75  and  1878. 

Benjamin  F.  Farley,  1845  and  1846.  Rev.  Hiram  L.  Kelsey,  1876  and  1877. 

STATISTICS    OF    THE    HOLLIS    SCHOOLS    IN    1873. 

According  to  the  report  of  the  State  Superintendent  of  the  New 
Hampshire  Public  Schools  for  1873,  the  year  previous  to  the  for- 
mation of  the  Union  School  District  in  Hollis,  there  were  then  in  the 
town  fourteen  school  districts,  two  hundred  and  sixty-two  children 
and  youth  of  school  age,  with  an  average  attendance  of  two  hundred 
and  four — value  of  school-houses,  $3,000,  or  about  $215  average 
value — amount  of  money  for  the  year  raised  for  schools,  $2,245.36. 
being  $8.56  per  scholar,  for  those  of  school  age. 


JiLBuftal's  Son:  Mi.  Boston 

HOLLIS    HIGH     SCHOOL 


ESTABLISHED   1877  . 


HIGH    SCHOOL.  28l 

4 

THE    HOLLIS    HIGH    SCHOOL. 

In  several  different  years  prior  to  18/6,  earnest  efforts  had  been 
made  by  many  of  the  friends  of  popular  education  in  Hollis  to  estab- 
lish a  High  School,  as  authorized  by  the  law  of  the  State,  of  which 
the  youth  in  all  parts  of  the  town  might  enjoy  the  benefit,  and  a 
number  of  town  meetings  had  been  held  specially  to  consider  the 
question.  But  previously  to  the  year  above  named  all  such  efforts 
had  wholly  failed. 

This  worthy  and  beneficent  object  has  however  been  at  last  hap- 
pily accomplished  by  means  of  the  generous  bequest  of  Miss  Mary 
S.  Farley,  the  only  daughter  and  heir-at-law  of  Capt.  Christopher 
P.  Farley,  a  grandson  of  Lieut.  Benjamin  Farley,  one  of  the  first 
settlers  of  the  town.  Miss  Farley  deceased  July  27,  1875,  leaving 
by  her  will  a  legacy  to  the  town  of  near  $10,000,  the  annual  interest 
of  which  was  to  be  used  for  the  support  of  a  High  School  for  the 
benefit  of  the  whole  town,  on  condition  that  the  town  would  accept 
it  by  providing  within  two  years  from  her  decease  a  suitable  site  and 
buildings  for  such  a  school  near  the  centre  of  the  town,  and  also  for 
the  future  would  take  proper  care  of  her  family  burial  lot  in  the 
south  burial  ground.  If  the  town  should  not  accept  the  legacy  with 
the  conditions  annexed  to  it,  then  it  was  to  be  paid  to  the  Trustees 
of  the  New  Hampshire  Orphans'  Home  at  Franklin. 

On  the  1 4th  of  May,  1876,  a  special  town  meeting  was  held  to 
consider  this  bequest,  at  which  the  town  voted  to  accept  it,  and  at 
the  same  meeting  voted  to  provide  a  school-house  in  compliance 
with  the  conditions  of  the  will.  At  a  subsequent  town  meeting,  on 
the  second  day  of  September  following,  it  was  voted  to  organize  the 
town  into  a  High  School  District  in  accordance  with  the  State  law. 

Afterwards,  at  a  meeting  of  the  Union  School  District  in  the 
November  following,  that  district  voted  for  a  nominal  consideration, 
to  convey  to  the  High  School  District  one  equal  undivided  half  of 
its  school  lot,  and  the  whole  of  the  second  story  of  its  school  build- 
ing for  the  use  and  accommodation  of  the  High  School,  with  all 
such  appertaining  rights  and  privileges  as  would  be  proper  and 
needful  for  its  occupation  for  school  purposes.  This  vote  on  the  7th 
of  January,  1877,  was  consummated  and  made  effectual  by  a  deed  of 
the  premises  made  by  the  Union  District  to  the  High  School  Dis- 
trict, to  the  acceptance  of  the  latter.  A  high  school  for  the  benefit 
of  the  youth  of  the  whole  town  has  thus  been  fortunately  provided 
and  made  permanent,  and  now  for  near  two  years  has  been  in 
successful  operation. 


282  SKETCH    OF    MISS    FARLEY. 

MISS    MARY    SHERVVIN    FARLEY, 

(By  Gen.vT.  S.,  her  cousin.) 

daughter  of  Capt.  Christopher  P.  and  Mary  (Sherwin)  Farley,  was 
born  in  Hollis,  Nov.  2,  1813.  Her  father  was  a  grandson  of  Lt. 
Benjamin  Farley,  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  in  Hollis,  and  followed 
the  business  of  tanning,  by  which  he  acquired  an  ample  estate, 
and  was  justly  esteemed  for  his  uprightness  and  sound  judgment. 
January  18,  1813,  he  married  Mary  Sherwin,  daughter  of  David 
Sherwrin,  of  New  Ipswich,  who  died  about  two  weeks  after  the 
birth  of  her  daughter.  Left  so  soon  a  widower,  the  affections  and 
hopes  of  the  father,  perhaps,  turned  the  more  strongly  to  his  child, 
whose  life  in  her  infancy  seemed  to  hang  upon  the  most  slender 
thread.  In  her  early  years  she  was  most  tenderly  cared  for  by  a 
sister  of  her  father.  Her  health,  exceedingly  frail  and  delicate  from 
her  birth,  was  never  vigorous.  In  her  girlhood,  she  could  rarely 
join  in  the  pastimes  of  those  of  her  own  age,  nor  was  she  ever  able 
to  attend  regularly  upon  the  school  terms,  though  for  one  year, 
when  of  the  age  of  fifteen,  she  was  placed  in  a  boarding  school. 

While  her  father  lived,  the  two  were  almost  constant  companions. 
She  accompanied  him  in  his  wralks  and  rides,  became  familiar  with 
his  interests  and  business — in  this  way  gaining  practical  knowledge 
and  habits  of  thought,  which  helped  to  form  her  character,  and  were 
of  great  value  to  her.  After  the  death  of  her  father,  July  22,  1848, 
(a  loss  to  her  that  few  can  realize),  she  continued  to  live  at  the 
paternal  homestead  till  her  death,  July  27,  1875. 

Occupied  with  the  care  of  her  pleasant  farm,  busying  herself  in 
the  culture  of  flowers,  making  occasional  journeys  to  visit  friends, 
and  oftener  in  the  hope  of  gaining  health  and  strength,  she  passed 
a  life,  though  not  eventful,  yet  marked  through  its  whole  course  by 
acts  of  kindness  and  charity.  In  matters  of  business  she  was  me- 
thodical and  exact,  manifesting  more  than  usual  insight  and  good 
judgment  in  the  management  of  her  affairs.  But  above  all  it  was 
her  aim  to  be  just  to  others.  She  \vas  in  the  highest  degree  con- 
scientious, and  would  at  any  time  sacrifice  her  own  interest  rather 
than  that  another  should  suffer  wrong. 

Her  memory  of  persons  and  events  was  uncommonly  quick  and 
retentive.  Matters  of  history  gained  from  her  reading  were  rarely 
forgotten.  Her  recollection  of  dates  and  places  was  somewhat  phe- 
nomenal, and  she  often  surprised  her  friends  by  recounting  events 
in  their  own  lives,  which  had  quite  escaped  the  memory  of  all  but 
herself. 


THE    HOLL1S    LIBRARY.  283 

Firm  and  sincere  in  her  friendships,  she  attracted  to  herself  all 
those  of  her  acquaintance  who  knew  her  sufficiently  well  to  appre- 
ciate the  kindliness,  generosity  and  purity  of  her  character.  No- 
where could  a  more  cordial  hospitality  be  found  than  in  her  pleas- 
ant old  fashioned  homestead,  standing  amidst  fertile,  well  cultivated 
acres,  and  shaded  by  the  huge  buttonwood  in  the  door  yard. 

She  had  a  strong  affection  for  children  and  young  people — en- 
joyed having  them  about  her — entered  into  their  sports  and  plans — 
encouraged  their  efforts  for  improvement  and  often  gave  them  sub- 
stantial aid.  She  was  at  all  times  deeply  interested  in  the  prosper- 
ity and  welfare  of  her  native  town,  and  especially  in  its  public 
schools,  and  besides  her  other  benefactions  for  them,  during  life, 
bequeathing  by  her  last  will,  as  we  have  seen,  a  fund  of  near 
$10,000  for  the  endowment  and  permanent  support  of  a  High 
school.  In  addition  to  other  charitable  benefactions  bequeathed  by 
her  will,  was  a  legacy  of  $5,000  to  the  funds  of  the  New  Hamp- 
shire Orphan  Asylum  at  Franklin. 

THE    HOLLIS    SOCIAL    LIBRARY. 

The  Hollis  Social  Library,  so  called,  was  incorporated  by  an  act 
of  the  General  Court,  June  n,  1799,  and  is  believed  to  be  one  of 
the  oldest  associations  of  the  kind  in  the  State.  The  corporators 
named  in  the  charter  were  Rev.  Daniel  Emerson,  then  in  his  84th 
year,  Rev.  Eli  Smith,  Noah  Worcester  and  Daniel  Emerson,  Jun., 
who,  with  their  associates,  were  made  a  body  corporate,  with  per- 
petual succession,  with  power  to  establish  and  maintain  a  library, 
and  to  make  all  needful  rules  and  by-laws  in  respect  to  it.  The 
original  capital  was  $1,000 — since  increased  by  an  amendment  of 
the  charter  to  $50,000.  The  two  last-named  corporators  were  au- 
thorized to  call  the  first  meeting,  and  under  this  charter  a  small 
library  of  from  one  hundred  to  three  hundred  well  chosen  books 
was  soon  collected,  which  number  has  since  been  increased  to 
between  nineteen  hundred  and  two  thousand  bound  volumes,  besides 
pamphlets. 

The  officers  of  the  Association  consist  of  a  President,  three  Direc- 
tors, Secretary,  Treasurer  and  Librarian,  chosen  annually.  Any 
inhabitant  of  the  town  could  become  a  member  of  the  Association, 
and  entitled  to  the  privileges  of  the  library,  upon  paying  an  initia- 
tion fee  of  fifty  cents,  being  afterwards  chargeable  with  an  annual 
tax  of  twenty-five  cents,  afterwards  increased  to  fifty  cents.  The 


284  HOLLIS    LYCEUM. 

number  of  names  now  on  the  list  of  membership  is  one  hundred  and 
sixty-seven.  This  library  for  many  years  after  its  establishment  was 
kept  at  the  house  of  the  librarian,  elected  from  time  to  time,  but 
since  the  year  1851  it  has  been  kept  in  a  room,  provided  and  fur- 
nished for  it  by  its  directors,  in  the  Congregational  meeting-house. 
The  books  furnished  to  the  people  of  Hollis  from  this  library  have 
been  of  great  use  to  them,  from  the  time  of  its  foundation,  in  the 
promotion  of  useful  knowledge  and  in  cultivating  and  supplying  a 
taste  for  reading  among  the  inhabitants  generally,  the  extent  of 
which  may  in  some  measure  be  seen  from  the  fact  stated  in  one  of 
the  last  annual  reports,  that  in  the  preceding  year  there  had  been 
given  out  to  be  read  between  twenty-four  hundred  and  twenty-five 
hundred  volumes,  the  same  book,  however,  in  many  instances, 
having  been  given  out  more  than  once. 

THE  HOLLIS  LYCEUM  AND  PUBLIC  LECTURES. 

During  most  of  the  winters  since  1851,  either  lyceums  or  courses 
of  public  lectures  have  been  maintained  in  Hollis  for  the  intellec- 
tual entertainment  and  improvement  of  its  citizens.  The  constitu- 
tion of  the  lyceum  has  commonly  provided  for  a  monthly  election 
of  its  officers,  and  also  for  its  exercises,  including  select  readings 
and  recitations,  vocal  and  instrumental  music,  a  discussion  of  some 
topic  or  question  of  general  interest  to'  its  members,  and  a  paper, 
known  as  the  "  Lyceum  Reporter,"  edited  by  some  of  its  lady  mem- 
bers, appointed  for  that  purpose.  The  exercises  of  this  association 
have  usually  been  public.  Separate  committees  have  ordinarily 
provided  for  the  selection  of  the  subjects  for  these  exercises,  and  the 
assignment  and  acceptance  of  their  various  parts,  and  when  these 
duties  of  the  committees  have  been  faithfully  performed,  the  public 
interest  in  them  has  been  so  general  as  to  insure  a  large  attendance 
at  the  meetings. 

The  public  lectures  have  commonly  been  provided  for  by  volun- 
tary subscriptions  of  the  citizens,  and  have  been  free-  to  all  who 
wished  to  attend  them.  They  have  embraced  a  great  variety  of 
subjects  of  interest,  and  some  of  the  lecturers  engaged  have  been 
persons  of  distinction  in  this  and  other  States.  Also  a  club  for  the 
rehearsal  and  acting  of  dramas  has  occasionally  existed,  and  public 
entertainments  given  by  it,  highly  creditable  to  the  performers,  and 
very  acceptable  to  the  audiences.  This  club  at  present  numbers 
about  fifty  members. 


GRADUATES    OF    COLLEGES.,  285 

GRADUATES     OK     COLLEGE     FROM      HOLLIS,    WITH      THE     YEARS     OF 
THEIR    GRADUATION. 

Graduates  of  Harvard  College. 

Peter  Powers,  1754  Joseph  E.  Smith,  1804 

Josiah  Goodhue,  1755  Benjamin  Burge,  1805 

Henry  Cumings,  1760  Samuel  E.  Smith,  1808 

Joseph  Emerson,  1774  John  Proctor,  1813 

Samuel  Emerson,  1785  George  F.  Farley,  1816 

Josiah  Burge,  1787  William  P.  Kendrick,  1816 

Daniel  Emerson,  Jun.,  1794  Taylor  G.  Worcester,  1823 

Joseph  Emerson,  ad,  1708  Jonathan  Saunderson,  1828 

Manasseh  Smith,  1806  Samuel  T.  Worcester,  1830 

Jacob  A.  Cumings,  1801  Frederick  A.  Worcester,  1831 

Benjamin  M.  Farley,  1804  Francis  J.  Worcester,  1870 

Gradttates  of  Tale    College. 

Ralph  Emerson,  1811  Joseph  Emerson,  1830 

Joseph  E.  Worcester,  1811  Benjamin  F.  Farley,  1833 

Henry  A.  Worcester,  1828  Ralph  H.  Cutter,  1858 

Graduates  of  Dartmouth  College. 

Samuel  Worcester.  1795  Noah  Hardy,  1812 

Abel  Farley,  1798  Luke  Eastman,  1812 

Mighill  Blood,  1800  David  P.  Smith,  1823 

Caleb  J.  Tenney,  1801  William  P.  Eastman,  1843 

David  Jewett,  1801  Charles  Cummings,  1842 

Jonathan  B.  Eastman,  1803  Charles  H.  Mooar,  1848 

Nehemiah  Hardy,  Jun.,  1803  Edward  F.Johnson,  1864 

Stephen  Farley,  Jun.,  1804  Joseph  B.  Parker,  1869 

William  Tenney,  Jun.,  1808  John  H.  Hardy,  1870 

Eli  Smith,  Jun.,  1809  Franklin  Worcester,  1870 

Leonard  Jewett,  1810  Charles  L.  Day,  1877 

Grant  Powers,  1810  George  W.  Saunderson,  1877 

Graduates  of  Middlebitry   College. 

Fifield  Holt.  1810  Solomon  Hardy,  1824 

Graduates  of  Amherst    College. 

Thomas  A.  Farley,  1838  Amos  F.  Shattuck,  1859 

Graduates  of  Brown    University. 

Daniel  Kendrick,  1810  Luther  Smith,  1824 

Graduates  of  Maryville   College,    Tenn. 

Phillips  Wood,  1831  Leonard  Wood,  1832 

Greenville,   Tcnn.  Onion,  A*.   J'. 

Eli  N.  Sawtell,  1823  Benjamin  F.  Emerson,  1830 

Of  the  sixty-two  college  graduates  named  above  thirty-three 
studied  Theology,  four  Medicine,  twenty-three  became  Lawyers  or 
are  now  studying  law,  one  an  Author,  one  an  Author  and  Book- 
seller, and  one  an  army  officer. 


286  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 


CHAPTER    XXVII. 

BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES    OF    HOLLIS    GRADUATES    OF    COLLEGES. 

GRADUATES    OF    HARVARD    AND    YALE. 

REV.   PETER   POWERS, 

the  first  Hollis  college  graduate,  was  the  son  of  Capt.  Peter  Pow- 
ers, the  first  settler  of  Hollis,  and  Anna  (Keyes)  Powers,  was  born  in 
old  Dunstable,  November  29,  1728,  and  came  with  his  father  to 
that  part  of  Dunstable,  afterwards  known  as  Hollib,  in  1 730.  He 
graduated  at  Harvard  College  in  1754.  Rev.  Grant  Powers,  his 
nephew,  in  his  "  History  of  the  Coos  Country,"  says  of  his  uncle, 
"  that  in  his  early  youth,  he  had  a  very  strong  desire  for  a  college 
education,  a  wish  in  respect  to  which  he  had  often  spoken  to  his 
parents.  But  his  parents  had  other  plans  for  their  son,  and,  regard- 
ing his  project  for  such  an  education  as  a  vision  of  youth  that 
would  soon  pass  away,  gave  him  no  encouragement.  Young  Peter, 
afterwards,  for  a  considerable  time  remained  silent  in  respect  to  the 
matter,  till  at  length,  one  evening,  he  was  found  to  be  missing  at 
the  customary  nine  o'clock  family  prayers,  and  remained  absent  the 
whole  night.  Early  the  next  morning,  the  father  upon  going  out 
of  the  door  saw  his  son  just  coming  out  of  the  woods.  He,  how- 
ever, put  off  calling  upon  Peter  for  an  explanation  of  his  absence 
till  the  close  of  his  family  morning  prayers,  when  in  presence  of 
the  whole  family  the  Captain  asked  his  son,  "  Where  he  had 
passed  the  night."  "  In  the  woods"  answered  the  youth.  "  And 
what  were  you  doing  in  the  TV oodsf"  asked  the  father.  "  1 was 
praying"  said  the  son.  "  And  for  what  were  you  praying?" 
continued  the  Captain.  "  That  I  might  go  to  college"  replied 
Peter.  "  And  for  what  do  you  wish  to  go  to  college?"  added  the 
father.  •"  That  I  may  prepare  myself  to  preach  the  Gospel"  re- 
joined the  youth. 

Capt.  Powers  was  so  moved  by  these  answers,  that  for  the  time 
he  was  unable  to  say  more,  but  upon  Peter's  leaving  the  room    he 


GRADUATES  OF  COLLEGES.  287 

said  to  his  wife,  "  Anna,  I  don't  see  but  that  we  must  give  up  the 
point,  and  let  Peter  go  to  college."  The  result  was  a  collegiate 
education,  and  a  life  of  eminent  usefulness. 

Mr.  Powers  graduated  at  the  age  of  twenty-two,  and  in  June 
1755,  the  year  after  he  left  college,  he  received  his  first  call  to  settle 
in  the  ministry  at  New  Ipswich.  After  some  negotiation  this  call 
was  finally  'declined,  and  the  next  year  he  was  settled  as  pastor 
of  the  church  in  the  parish  of  Newent,  Connecticut,  then  a  part 
of  the  town  of  Norwich.  He  remained  at  Newent  till  1764,  when 
he  was  dismissed,  and  early  the  next  year  was  settled  as  pastor 
of  a  church  and  society  in  the  towns  of  Haverhill,  New  Hamp- 
shire, and  Newbury,  Vermont.  His  connection  with  this  society 
continued  till  1784,  when  he  was  dismissed,  and  the  year  after  was 
settled  as  pastor  of  the  church  in  Deer  Isle,  Maine,  where  he  died, 
May  13,  1800,  set.  71.  In  a  biographical  sketch  of  Mr.  Powers,  in 
Volume  II.  of  the  New  Hampshire  Collections,  it  is  said  of  him, 
"that  he  was  a  faithful  and  discriminating  preacher,  and  possessed 
of  superior  talents." 

Publications  of  Mr.  Powers.  —An  Installation  sermon  preached 
by  himself  with  the  following  title,  "  A  sermon  preached  at  Holies, 
February  27,  1765,  at  the  Installation  of  Rev.  Peter  Powers,  A.  M.? 
for  the  towns  of  Newbury  and  Haverhill,  at  a  place  called  Coos,  in 
the  Province  of  New  Hampshire,  by  myself,  published  at  the  de- 
sire of  many  that  heard  it,  to  whom  it  is  Humbly  dedicated."  Also 
a  sermon  preached  at  the  funeral  of  D.  Bailey,  1772.* 

REV.    JOSIAH    GOODHUE, 

the  second  Hollis  college  graduate,  was  the  son  of  Dea.  Samuel 
and  Abigail  (Bartlett)  Goodhue,  born  1735.  His  father  was  among 
the  early  settlers  of  Hollis,  but  his  family  register  is  not  found  in  the 
town  records.  Allen  in  his  "American  Biographies  "  and  Farmer  in 
his  '•  New  Hampshire  Gazetteer"  speak  of  the  son  as  having  been 
born  in  Hollis.  He  graduated  in  1755,  at  the  age  of  20,  and  was 
first  settled  as  pastor  of  the  Congregational  church  in  Dunstable, 
Mass.,  June  8,  1757,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two.  Dismissed  by  a 
mutual  council,  September  28,  i774'  anc^  recommended  by  it  "  as  a 
person  of  conspicuous  seriousness  and  piety. "f  He  afterwards 
settled  as  pastor  of  a  church  in  Poultney,  Vt.,  where  he  died  Novem- 
ber, 1797,  aet.  62. 

*See  Allen's  Am.  Biographies,  p.  625,  and  History  of  the  Coos  Country,  by  Rer.  G.  Powers. 
fAllen's  Am.  Biographies,  p.  386. 


288  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

REV.  HENRY  CUMMINGS,*  D.  D., 

was  the  son  of  Ensign  Jerahmael  and  Hannah  (Farwell)  Cummings, 
and  was  born  in  Hollis,  September  16,  1739-  His  father,  Ensign 
Cumings,  was  from  Groton,  (q.  v.  p.  131.)  and  died  October  25, 
1747,  leaving  his  widow  with  five  young  children,  of  whom  the  old- 
est was  ten  years  of  age,  and  the  youngest,  an  infant.  He  prepared 
for  college  in  Hollis,  with  Rev.  Mr.  Emerson,  and  graduated  in 
1760  at  the  age  of  twenty-one. 

In  Rev.  Dr.  Sprague's  "Biographies  of  the  American  Pulpit"  it 
is  said  that  "the  mother  of  Dr.  Cummings  was  a  woman  of  dis- 
tinguished piety — of  great  strength  of  character  and  greatly  .devoted 
to  her  children.  That  some  years  after  the  death  of  her  husband 
she  received  proposals  for  a  second  marriage  which  she  accepted. 
But  shortly  before  the  contemplated  wedding,  the  prospective 
bridegroom  intimated  to  her,  that  he  did  not  expect  her  children 
would  come  with  her  to  the  new  home,  and  asked  her  how  she  ex- 
pected to  dispose  of  them  ?  To  this  questi  )n  the  mother  promptly 
replied  :  '  If  you  do  not  take  my  children  you  cannot  take  me.  I 
have  a  mother's  duty  to  perform  for  them  and  by  God's  help  I  shall 
perform  it,'  and  immediately  gave  her  suitor  leave  to  retire." 

Young  Cummings  early  gave  such  indications  of  so  vigorous  a 
mind  as  to  attract  the  attention  of  his  pastor,  Rev.  Mr.  Emerson,  and 
to  justify  unusual  efforts  to  give  him  a  collegiate  education,  and  so  as 
to  induce  Mr.  Emerson  personally  to  take  charge  of  his  preparatory 
studies.  He  entered  college  in  1756  and  maintained  a  high  rank 
both  for  scholarship  and  good  conduct.  As  pleasant  evidence  of 
the  esteem  in  which  he  was  held  at  home,  it  is  shown  by  the  Hollis 
church  records  that  in  the  last  year  of  his  course,  the  Hollis  church 
contributed  £70  O.  T.  towards  his  college  expenses. 

He  left  college  at  the  age  of  twenty-one,  and  but  a  few  months 
after  was  invited  to  preach  in  Boston,  and  elsewhere,  and  soon  be- 
came one  of  the  most  popular  preachers  of  the  time.  In  the  fall  of 
1762,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two,  he  had  a  call  to  settle  as  pastor  of 
the  church  in  Billerica,  Mass.,  which  he  accepted,  and  was  ordained 
at  Billerica,  January  26,  1763.  The  sermon  at  his  ordination  was 
preached  by  his  old  friend  and  pastor,  Rev.  Mr.  Emerson,  from 

This  name  which  very  often  occurs  in  the  old  Hollis  records  is  in  them  uniformly  spelt 
with  but  a  single  "  M,"  "  Cumings."  The  same  name,  for  the  last  fifty  years  or  more,  has. 
been  more  commonly  spelt  "  Cummings,"  doubling  the  "  M." 


GRADUATES    OF    HARVARD    COLLEGE.  289 

Heb.  xiii :  17.  He  was  the  only  minister  of  Billerica  from  1762  to 
1814,  fifty-two  years,  when  Rev.  Nathaniel  Whitman  was  settled  as 
his  colleague. 

After  his  ordination,  Dr.  Cummings  devoted  himself  to  his 
studies  with  great  assiduity,  became  an  excellent  classical  scholar, 
and  so  well  versed  in  the  Hebrew,  as  not  only  to  read,  but  also  to 
write  it  with  ease.  During  the  Revolution,  he  was  an  earnest 
friend  of  Independence,  and  z'«,  as  well  as  out  of  the  pulpit,  labored 
to  diffuse  the  spirit  of  patriotism  and  to  give  strength  to  the  new 
government. 

He  is  described  as  having  been  a  fine  specimen  of  physical, 
moral  and  mental  nobility.  His  countenance  evinced  a  high  order 
of  intelligence  and  dignity.  His  excellent  social  qualities  rendered 
him  a  most  agreeable  companion,  and  he  did  not  withhold  his  sym- 
pathy and  kindness  even  from  the  unworthy.  His  public  discourses 
were  characterized  with  great  boldness  of  style  and  delivered  with 
a  voice  of  much  power.  Among  his  published  writings  are  the 
following:  "Thanksgiving  Sermons",  1766,  1775,  1785  and  1799. 
"Public  Fast,"  1801.  Sermon  at  the  "  Anniversary  of  the  Battle  of 
Lexington,"  and  also  "  General.  Election"  sermon,  1783.  Sermons 
on  "Natural  Religion,"  1795,  also  in  1796.  At  the  ordination  of 
Rev.  Caleb  Bradley,  1800.  "Eulogy  on  Washington,"  1801. 
«'  Charity"  sermon  at  Roxbury,  1802.  "Half  Century"  sermon  at 
Billerica,  1813.  Received  the  honorary  degree  of  D.  D.  from  Har- 
vard College,  1800.  Died  at  Baltimore,  Maryland,  September  5, 
1823,  set.  84  nearly.* 

REV.  JOSEPH  EMERSOX, 

son  of  Rev.  Daniel  and  Hannah  Emerson,  born  in  Hollis,  Septem- 
ber 28,  1759,  and  graduated  at  Harvard  college  in  1776,  at  the  age 
of  seventeen.  He  studied  for  the  ministry  with  his  father  in  Hollis, 
and  died  in  Hollis,  July  27,  1781,  in  his  twenty-second  year.  For 
sometime  previous  to  his  death,  he  had  preached  as  a  candidate  and 
had  accepted  a  call  to  settle  in  the  ministry  as  pastor  of  the  Con- 
gregational church  and  society  in  Temple,  New  Hampshire,  but 
was  taken  sick  and  died  but  a  short  time  before  his  expected  ordina- 
tion. It  is  said  that  the  church  at  Temple,  in  manifestation  of  their 
esteem  and  affection  for  him,  attended  his  funeral  at  Hollis  in  a 

*Sprague's  American  Unitarian  Pulpit,  pp.  55,  56-    Allen's  American  Biography,  p.  274. 

(19) 


290  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

body.     The  following    tribute  to  his    memory,    expressive   of  his 
character,  is  inscribed  on  his  gravestone  in  Hollis. 

"JOSEPH  EMERSON, 
Son  of  Rev.  Daniel  and  Mrs.  Hannah  Emerson, 

Born  September  28,  1759. 
Rec'd  the  degree  of  A.  B.  in  1776,  and  the  degree  of  A.  M. 

at  Harvard  University  in  1779. 
Possessed  of  good  mental  powers  and  disposition, 

Sedate,  Contemplative 'and  Studious, 

A  dutiful  son,  an  affectionate  brother,  a  respectable  scholar, 
An  agreeable  companion,  a  faithful  and  benevolent  man, 
An  Exemplary  Christian,  a  solid  and  devotional  preacher, 

Died  July  27,  1781,  in  the  22d  year  of  his  age, 

Much  lamented,  not  only  by  the  family  but  by  a  numerous 

Circle  of  friends  and  acquaintances,  particularly  the 

Church  and  Congregation  at  Temple,  who  had  given 

him  an  invitation  to  settle  with  them  in  the  work  of 

the  Gospel  Ministry.     His  mortal  part  here  deposited 

Rests  until  it  rises  in  glory  and  immortality." 

DR.  SAMUEL  EMERSON* 

was  the  6th  son  of  Dea.  Daniel  and  Hannah  Emerson,  born  in 
Hollis,  September  .6,  1764.  In  i779>  when  in  his  fifteenth  year,  he 
enlisted  as  a  fifer  in  a  company  commanded  by  his  brother,  Capt. 
Daniel  Emerson,  in  the  regiment  of  Col.  Hercules  Mooney.  After 
the  war  he  fitted  for  college  with  his  father,  and  graduated  at  Har- 
vard college  in  1785.  He  subsequently  studied  medicine,  and  set- 
tled as  a  physician  in  Kennebunkport,  Maine.  Dr.  Emerson  was 
highly  educated,  an  excellent  English  and  classical  scholar,  and  is 
said  to  have  retained  his  taste  and  interest  in  classical  literature  till 
his  death.  He  was  also  very  fond  of  music,  and  played  well  on  the 
violin,  flute,  clarionet  and  organ.  He  had  a  laborious  and  exten- 
sive practice,  and  was  much  distinguished  and  very  popular  in  his 
profession,  but  it  is  said  of  him  that  he  could  never  be  persuaded  to 
send  a  bill  for  his  services  to  a  poor  man.  Died  at  Kennebunk- 
port, August  7?  l$5li  in  his  eighty-seventh  year.  George  B.  Emer- 
son, A.  A.  S.,  a  graduate  of  Harvard  college  in  1817.  an  eminent 
Boston  teacher,  naturalist,  and  author,  and  for  several  years  Presi- 
dent of  the  Boston  Society  of  Natural  History,  was  a  son  of  Dr. 
Emerson. 

REV.  JOSIAH   BURGE. 

son  of  Ephraim  and  Anna  (Abbot)  Burge,  born  in  Hollis,  April  15, 
1766.  Graduated  at  Harvard  college,  1787,  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
one.  Studied  for  the  ministry  with  the  Rev.  Seth  Payson.  D.  D.,  at 


GRADUATES    OF    HARVARD    COLLEGE.  29! 

Rindge,  N.  H.,  and  was  licensed  to  preach;  but  after  having 
preached  about  nine  months,  his  health  failed,  and  he  died  at  Hollis, 
March  24,  1790,  in  his  24th  year. 

REV.  DANIEL  EMERSON,  JUN., 

son  of  Dea.  Daniel  and  Ama  (Fletcher)  Emerson,  born  in  Hollis, 
July  15,  1771.  Graduated  at  Harvard  college,  1794.  For  several 
years  after  leaving  college,  he  engaged  in  business  as  a  merchant, 
first  in  Charlestown,  Mass.,  and  afterwards  in  Hollis,  and  was 
Town  Clerk  and  First  Selectman  in  Hollis  in  the  years  1802,  1803, 
1804  and  1805.  He  afterwards  stvidied  for  the  ministry  with  his 
brother,  Rev.  Joseph  Emerson,  at  Beverly,  Mass.,  and  began  to 
preach  in  1806.  He  was  ordained  as  pastor  of  the  Congregational 
church  at  Dartmouth,  Mass.,  October  14,  1807,  and  died  at 
Dartmouth,  November  16,  1808,  aet.  36.  Two  of  his  sons, 
Benjamin  F.  and  Joseph,  were  college  graduates,  (q.  v.) 

REV.  JOSEPH.  EMERSON,  3D., 

son  of  Dea.  Daniel  and  Ama  (Fletcher)  Emerson,  born  in  Hollis, 
October  13,  1777'  an<^  graduated  at  Harvard  college,  1798.  After 
graduating,  he  was  for  a  time  college  tutor  at  Harvard.  He  studied 
Theology  with  Rev.  Nathaniel  Emmons,  D.  D.,  of  Franklin,  Mass. 
Was  ordained  as  pastor  of  the  Congregational  church  at  Beverly, 
Mass.,  September  21.  1803;  resigned  his  pastorate  at  Beverly, 
September  21,  1816;  removed  to  Byfield,  Mass.,  in  1818,  and  the 
same  year  established  there  a  seminary  for  the  higher  education  of 
young  ladies.  In  1821  he  removed  to  Saugus,  Mass.,  and  estab- 
lished his  seminary  at  that  place,  and  remained  in  Saugus  till  1824, 
preaching  in  the  meantime  on  the  Sabbath.  In  the  latter  part  of 
the  year  last  named,  in  compliance  with  an  invitation  of  the  people 
of  Wethersfield,  Conn.,  through  his  townsman  and  friend,  Rev.  C. 
J.  Tenney,  D.  D..  his  seminary  was  removed  to  Wethersfield, 
which  he  continued  to  conduct  with  great  acceptance  at  that  place, 
till  about  a  year  before  his  death.  He  was  reputed  an  excellent  and 
accomplished  scholar,  and  a  faithful  and  popular  teacher.  His 
seminary  had  a  wide  reputation,  and  is  believed  to  have  been  the 
first  institution  of  the  kind  in  New  England.  Mr.  Emerson  died 
at  Wethersfield,  May  13,  1833,  aet.  55.  An  interesting^biography 
of  him  by  his  brother,  Prof.  Ralph  Emerson,  was  published  in  1834. 
Mr.  Emerson  was  the  author  of  several  publications,  among 


292  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

which  was  the  " Evangelical  Primer,"  1810;  "Writings  of  Miss 
Fanny  Woodbury,  with  Notes,"  1814  ;  "Lectures  on  the  Millen- 
ium," 1819  ;  "The Union  Catechism,"  1821  ;  "Poetic Reader,"  1831. 

MANASSEH  SMITH,  JUN.,  ATTORNEY  AT  LAW, 

the  oldest  son  of  Manasseh  and  Hannah  (Emerson)  Smith,  was 
born  in  Hollis,  August  16,  1779.  Graduated  at  Harvard  college  in 
1 800.  Afterwards  read  law  and  settled  in  his  profession  in 
Wiscasset,  Maine,  where  he  died  in  1822,  aet.  43. 

JACOB  ABBOT  CUMMINGS,  AUTHOR  AND    BOOKSELLER, 

son  of  Ebenezer  and  Elizabeth  (Abbot)  Cummings,  was  born  in 
Hollis,  November  2,  1772.  His  father  enlisted  in  the  Continental 
Army  in  April,  1777,  and  died  in  the  service  the  next  year.  Mr, 
Cummings  graduated  at  Harvard  college  in  1801.  After  leaving 
college  he  became  a  teacher  for  several  years,  and  afterwards  a 
bookseller  and  publisher,  and  a  member  of  the  well-known  Boston 
publishing  house  of  Cummings  and  Hilliard.  He  was  also  the 
author  of  several  elementary  educational  works,  among  which  were 
"New  Testament  Question,"  published  in  1817,  and  a  "Spelling 
Book"  and  "  School  Geography  Ancient  and  Modern,"  with  an 
atlas."  His  publications  for  schools  were  highly  esteemed,  and  his 
industry,  useful  labors,  and  amiable  qualities  procured  him  much 
respect.* 

BENJAMIN  M.  FARLEY,  ATTORNEY  AT  LAW, 

son  of  Benjamin  and  Lucy  (Fletcher)  Farley,  and  grandson  of  Lt. 
Samuel  Farley,  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Hollis,  was  born  April 
8,  1783,  in  that  part  of  Hollis  afterwards  set  off  to  Brookline.  Mr. 
Farley  prepared  for  college  at  the  academy  in  New  Ipswich  ;  grad- 
uated at  Harvard  college  in  1804;  read  law  with  Hon.  Abijah  Bige- 
low  in  Leominster,  Mass.  ;  admitted  to  the  bar  and  settled  in  his 
profession  in  Hollis  in  1808,  and  continued  to  reside  in  Hollis  till 
1855,  when  he  removed  to  Boston.  Upon  being  established  in  his 
profession,  he  soon  rose  to  a  high  rank  in  it,  and  for  many  years  he 
had  no  superior  at  the  Hillsborough  bar,  of  which  he  was  for  sev- 
eral years  president. 

Distinguished  for  his  legal  ability,  as  well  as  for  his  fidelity  to  his 
clients,  he  spared  no  pains  in  the  preparation  of  their  cases  for  the 
court,  and  it  is  said  of  him  that  he  made  the  cases  of  his  clients  so 

*Allen's  American  Biographies,  p.  274. 


' 


GRADUATES    OF    HARVARD    COLLEGE.  293 

much  his  own,  that  he  examined  witnesses,  and  addresssed  the  jury 
as  if  himself  personally  'were  on  trial.  In  the  popular  acceptation 
of  the  term,  Mr.  Farley  was  not  noted  for  eloquence.  He  relied 
more  for  his  eminent  success  upon  a  carefully  arranged  and  lucid 
statement  of  the  evidence  to  the  jury,  and  a  clear  presentation  of  his 
points  of  law  to  the  court,  than  upon  figures  of  rhetoric,  or  appeals 
to  sympathy,  and  his  presentation,  both  of  the  evidence  and  law, 
were  made  so  clear  and  distinct  that  neither  the  jury  nor  court  could 
misunderstand  him. 

Mr.  Farley  was  not  only  industrious,  faithful  and  prompt,  but 
what  he  undertook  to  do  he  did  with  his  might.  His  temperament 
was  not  impulsive,  but  having  once  settled  upon  his  course,  he  was 
not  easily  diverted  from  it.  If  it  required  loss  of  sleep  or  exposure 
to  heat  or  cold,  he  was  ready  to  meet  them,  and  he  knew  no  such 
thing  as  failure  if  by  his  personal  efforts  success  were  attainable. 
He  had  so  trained  himself  to  these  habits  from  early  life  that  he 
seemed  hardly  conscious  that  advancing  years  had  lessened  his 
strength,  and  as  he  approached  the  age  of  fourscore  it  could  hardly 
be  perceived  that  "  his  eye  had  become  dim,  or  his  natural  force 
abated."  He  was  naturally  conservative,  and  this  trait  of  his  char- 
acter grew  upon  him  with  his  years.  He  had  acquired  an  ample 
competence  by  his  profession,  yet  in  his  pecuniary  investments  he 
made  no  ventures,  nor  did  he  readily  become  a  convert  to  new  teach- 
ings in  education,  morals,  or  social  changes.  He  does  not  in  any 
part  of  his  life  seem  to  have  been  an  eager  aspirant  for  political 
office  or  distinction.  Though  decided  and  outspoken  in  his  political 
preferences  and  opinions  he  had  but  little  taste  for  party  politics, 
yet  his  standing  and  personal  popularity  with  his  fellow  townsmen 
are  shown  by  the  fact  that  between  the  years  1809  and  1844  he  was 
twenty-five  times  chosen  a  member  of  the  School  Committee,  and 
from  1814  to  1829  he  was  elected  in  fifteen  different  years  to  repre- 
sent the  town  in  the  General  Court.  As  a  member  of  the  legisla- 
ture Mr.  Farley  was  highly  respected,  and,  though  in  his  political 
relations  often  in  the  minority,  he  never  failed  to  exert  an  important 
influence  upon  its  deliberations.  His  ability  as  a  lawyer  was  well 
known  and  felt,  and  being  often  on  the  judiciary  committee  of  the 
House,  it  is  said  that  some  of  our  important  statute  laws  originated 
with  him.  Knowing  himself  but  too  well  the  evils  and  uncertainties 
of  litigation,  as  well  as  its  expense,  Mr.  Farley  was  in  the  habit  of 
dissuading  his  own  townsmen  from  engaging  in  it.  Owing  in  great 


294  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

part  to  this  cause,  it  is  said  that  the  people  of  Hollis  were  but  sel- 
dom represented  in  the  courts.  His  wise  counsel  in  this  direction 
rarely  failed  of  success,  he  not  wishing  to  add  to  his  own  fortune  at 
the  cost  of  the  peace  of  his  neighbors.  Died  at  Lunenburg,  Mass., 
September  16,  1865,  aet.  82. 

JOSEPH   E.  SMITH,  ATTORNEY  AT  LAW, 

son  of  Manasseh  and  Hannah  (Emerson)  Smith,  born  in  Hollis, 
March  6,  1782.  Graduated  at  Harvard  college  1804.  Read  law 
and  settled  in  his  profession  in  Boston.  Mr.  Smith  is  reputed  to 
have  been  well  read  in  his  profession,  an  able  and  successful  advo- 
cate, and  highly  esteemed  for  his  integrity  and  moral  worth.  Died 
1837,  at.  55. 

BENJAMIN  BURGE,  M.  D., 

son  of  Ephraim  and  Anna  (Abbot)  Burge,  born  in  Hollis,  August 
5,  1782.  Graduated  at  Harvard  college  in  1805.  Was  for  a  time 
a  tutor  at  Bowdoin  college,  and  received  the  honorary  degree  of 
A.  M.,  at  Bowdoin  in  1815.  He  studied  medicine  and  settled  in  his 
profession  in  Vassalborough,  Maine.  Died  in  Hollis,  June  n, 
1816,  aet.  33. 

SAMUEL  E.  SMITH,  ATTORNEY  AT  LAW, 

son  of  Manasseh  and  Hannah  (Emerson)  Smith,  and  grandson  of 
Rev.  Daniel  Emerson,  born  in  Hollis,  March  12,  1788.  Graduated 
at  Harvard  college  in  1808.  He  held  a  high  rank  in  his  class,  and 
graduated  with  distinguished  honors.  He  read  law  with  the  Hon. 
Samuel  Dana,  of  Groton,  Mass.,  and  with  his^  brother,  Joseph  E. 
Smith,  in  Boston.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Boston  in  1812? 
and  afterwards  settled  in  his  profession  in  Wiscasset,  Maine.  Mr. 
Smith  was  a  member  of  the  General  Court  of  Massachusetts  in 
1819,  and  of  that  in  Maine  in  1820,  and  was  a  Judge  of  the  Court  of 
Common  Pleas  of  Maine  from  1822  to  1830.  He  was  elected 
Governor  of  Maine  in  the  years  1831,  1832  and  1833  >  an<^  was  re~ 
appointed  Judge  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  in  1835,  resigned  in 
1837,  and  the  same  year  was  appointed  one  of  the  Commissioners 
to  revise  the  Statutes  of  Maine. 

In  an  obituary  notice  in  the  Harvard  Necrology  it  is  said  of  him, 
"  that  he  was  unostentatious  in  his  intercourse  with  his  fellow  citi- 
zens— honest  in  all  his  dealings — exemplary  in  his  habits  and  re- 
spected by  all  who  knew  him."  Died  at  Wiscasset,  March  3;  1860, 
set.  71. 


GRADUATES    OF    HARVARD    COLLEGE.  295 

1 
JOHN  PROCTOR,  ATTORNEY  AT  LAW, 

son  of  Cyrus  and  Sybil  (Farnsworth)  Proctor,  was  born  January 
28,  1787.  Graduated  at  Harvard  college  in  1813.  Read  law  and 
settled  as  an  attorney  at  law  in  Rockport,  Indiana.  Died  at  Rock- 
port  in  1844,  aet.  57. 

GEORGE  F.  FARLEY,  ATTORNEY  AT  LAW, 

son  of  Benjamin  and  Lucy  (Fletcher)  Farley,  was  born  April  5, 

1793,  and  graduated  at  Harvard  college  in  1816.     He  read  law  in 
the  office  of  his  brother,  Hon.  B.  M.   Farley,  of  Hollis,  and  Hon. 
Luther  Lawrence,  of  Groton,  Mass.,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar, 
and  commenced  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  New  Ipswich  in 
1821.     In  the  jear  1831,  he  was  a  member  of  the  New  Hampshire 
General  Court  from  New  Ipswich,  and  the  same  year  removed  to 
Groton,   Mass.,    and  practised   his  profession,    with  distinguished 
ability  and  success  till   his  death  at  that  place,  November  8,  1855, 
aet.  62.     Several  years  before  his  death,  Mr.   Farley  established  a 
law  office  in  Boston,  and  was  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  eloquent 
and  able  lawyers  at  the  Massachusetts  bar. 

REV.  WILLIAM  P.  KENDRICK, 

son  of  Capt.   Daniel  and   Mary  (Pool)   Kendrick,  born  June    20, 

1794,  graduated   at  Harvard   college  in   1816,    and  at  the   Theo- 
logical  seminary   at  Andover,  Massachusetts,  in   1819.      He  was 
ordained  as  a   home  missionary  in   1823,  and  for  many  years  after- 
wards was  employed  as  a  home  missionary  or   "  stated  supply"  in 
western  New  York,  and  at  length  removed  to  the  State  of  Illinois, 
and  became  pastor  of  a  church  at  Bristol   in  that  State,  where  he 
died  November  5,  1854,  aet.  50. 

TAYLOR  G.  WORCESTER, 

son  of  Jesse  and  Sarah  (Parker)  Worcester,  born  April  6,  1799. 
Graduated  at  Harvard  college  in  1823,  at  Andover  Theological 
seminary  in  1827,  and  was  licensed  to  preach  the  same  year.  He 
afterwards  preached  in  several  places  in  New  Hampshire  and 
Massachusetts,  but  was  never  settled  in  the  ministry.  He  still  (1879) 
resides  in  Hollis  on  the  old  ancestral  homestead.  While  in  college 
and  at  Andover  he  became  interested  in  the  doctrines  of  the  New 
Jerusalem  church  as  taught  in  the  writings  of  Emanuel  Swedenborg, 
and  was  the  editor  of  a  revised  translation  of  the  work  of  that 


296  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

author,  entitled  the  "  True  Christian  Religion,"  and  also  aided  in 
the  revision  of  the  translation  of  some  of  the  smaller  works  of  the 
same  author. 

JONATHAN  SAUNDERSON,  ATTORNEY  AT  LAW, 

son  of  Jonathan  and  Lucy  (Pool)  Saunderson,  born  December  30, 
1802,  prepared  for  college  at  the  academy  at  Westford,  Mass.,  and 
graduated  at  Harvard  college  in  1828.  Read  law  in  Hollis  with 
Hon.  B.  M.  Farley  and  at  the  law  school  in  Cambridge,  and 
settled  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Philadelphia. 

SAMUEL  T.  WORCESTER,  ATTORNEY  AT  LAW, 

son  of  Jesse  and  Sarah  (Parker)  Worcester,  born  August  30,  1804, 
prepared  for  college  at  the  academies  in  Pembroke,  N.  H.,  and  An- 
dover,  Mass.,  and  graduated  at  Harvard  college  in  1830.  After 
leaving  college,  taught  an  academy  for  one  year  at  Weymouth, 
Mass.,  and  also  for  one  year  at  Cambridge.  Read  law  in  the  office 
of  Hon.  B.  M.  Farley  in  Hollis,  and  also  at  the  law  school  in  Cam- 
bridge, settled  in  his  profession  in  Norwalk,  Ohio,  in  1835,  and 
continued  in  the  practice  of  the  law  in  that  place  till  the  summer  of 
1867,  when  he  removed  to  Nashua,  N.  H.,  where  he  still  resides 
(1879).  May  13,  1835,  married  Mary  F.  C.  Wales,  daughter  of 
Samuel  Wales,  Esq.,  of  Stoughton,  Mass.,  who  deceased  at  Nashua, 
April  29,  1874.  'Was  a  member  of  the  Ohio  Senate  in  the  years 
1849  and  I^5°5  elected  district  judge  of  the  loth  Ohio  judicial 
district  in  October,  1859,  an(^  while  holding  that  office  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  United  States  Congress  in  the  spring  of  1861. 
Publications  :  1831,  "  Sequel  to  the  Spelling  Book  ;"  1833,  "Amer- 
ican Primary  Spelling  Book;"  1871,  Revised  Editions  of  "Wor- 
cester's Comprehensive  and  Primary  Dictionaries;"  1871,  "Old 
and  New,  or  the  School  Systems  of  Ohio  and  New  Hampshire 
compared." 

FREDERICK  A.  WORCESTER,  ATTORNEY  AT  LAW, 

son  of  Jesse  and  Sarah  (Parker)  Worcester,  born  January  28,  1807  ; 
prepared  for  college  in  part  at  the  Pinkerton  Academy,  in  Deny, 
New  Hampshire,  and  in  part  at  the  Phillips  Academy,  in  Andover  ; 
graduated  at  Harvard  college  in  1831.  Read  law  with  Hon.  B. 
M.  Farley  in  Hollis  and  at  the  law  school  in  Cambridge,  admitted 
to  the  bar  and  commenced  the  practice  of  law  in  Bangor,  Maine, 


J, 


GRADUATES    OF    YALE    COLLEGE.  297 

in  1834.  Soon  afterwards  removed  to  Townsend,  Massachusetts, 
where  he  still  resides  and  yet  continues  (1879)  in  the  successful 
practice  of  his  profession. 

FRANCIS  J.  WORCESTER,  ATTORNEY  AT  LAW, 

son  of  Taylor  G.  and  Lucy  (Bell)  Worcester,  born  in  Hollis,  No- 
vember i,  1848,  graduated  at  Harvard  college  in  1870.  Read  law 
in  New  York  city,  and  was  there  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  com- 
menced the  practice  of  his  profession  in  1877?  and  still  resides  in 
New  York. 

GRADUATES    OF    YALE    COLLEGE. 
JOSEPH  E.  WORCESTER,  L.  L.  D., 

son  of  Jesse  and  Sarah  (Parker)  Worcester,  was  born  in  Bedford, 
N.  H.,  August  24,  1784,  and  in  1794,  when  in  his  tenth  year,  came 
to  Hollis  with  his  parents.  His  youth,  till  the  age  of  majority,  was 
passed  in  agricultural  labor  on  his  father's  farm  in  Hollis,  but  he 
early  manifested  an  ardent  love  of  knowledge  and  availed  himself  of 
every  attainable  means  for  mental  improvement.  After  reaching  his 
majority  he  prepared  himself  for  college,  partly  at  the  academy  in 
Salisbury,  N.  H.,  and  in  part  at  Phillips  Academy  in  Andover,  and 
entered  the  sophomore  class  at  Yale  in  1809,  and  graduated  at  Yale 
in  1811.  After  leaving  college  he  was  for  several  years  employed 
as  a  teacher  of  a  private  school  at  Salem,  Mass.,  he  afterwards  passed 
two  years  at  Andover,  Mass.,  and  in  1819  removed  to  Cambridge, 
where  he  devoted  himself  to  literary  pursuits,  and  to  the  prepara- 
tion for  the  press  of  his  numerous  and  valuable  publications,  till  his 
decease,  October  27,  1865,  aet.  Si.  He  was  married  June  29,  1841, 
to  Amy  Elizabeth  McKean,  (who  still  survives),  daughter  of  Rev. 
Joseph  McKean,  D.  D.,  formerly  Professor  of  Rhetoric  and  Oratory 
at  Harvard  college. 

The  first  literary  work  of  Dr.  Worcester  was  his  "Universal  Ga- 
zetteer, Ancient  and  Modern,"  in  two  volumes  octavo,  of  near  1000 
pages  each,  published  at  Andover  in  1817  ;  the  next  a  "  Gazetteer  of 
the  United  States,"  one  volume  octavo,  of  372  pages,  published  in 
1818.  This  was  followed  in  1819  by  his  "Elements  of  Geography, 
Ancient  and  Modern,  with  an  Atlas,"  a  work  that  was  received 
with  such  favor  that  it  passed  through  several  stereotype  editions. 
In  1823  this  Geography  was  succeeded  by  an  illustrated  work  in  two 
volumes  duodecimo,  entitled  "  Sketches  of  the  Earth  and  its 


298  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

Inhabitants."  In  1825  upon  being  elected  a  member  of  the 
American  Academy,  he  communicated  to  that  association  an  elabo- 
rate essay,  entitled,  "Remarks  upon  Longevity,"  which  was  pub- 
lished with  the  memoirs  of  the  academy.  His  "Elements  of 
Ancient  and  Modern  History,"  witn  an  "  Historical  Atlas,"  ap- 
peared in  1826,  a  woi'k  from  that  time  to  the  present  very  exten- 
sively used  as  a  standard  text  book  in  our  public  high  schools  and 
academies. 

His  first  work  in  lexicography  was  an  edition  of  "  Johnson's 
Dictionary,  combined  with  Walkers's  Pronunciation,"  an  octavo 
volume  of  1156  pages,  first  published  in  1828.  In  1829,  against  his 
own  inclination,  he  was  induced,  through  the  persistent  urgency  of 
the  publisher  of  Webster's  Quarto  Dictionary  (who  was  his  personal 
friend)  to  prepare  an  abridgement  of  that  work,  a  task  to  which  he 
was  strongly  averse,  and  at  first  refused,  a  refusal  to  which  he  after- 
wards regretted  that  he  did  not  adhere.  This  work  appeared  in 
1830,  in  an  octavo  volume  of  1071  pages,  into  which  he  incorpo- 
rated much  valuable  matter  which  he  had  prepared  for  his  own 
dictionaries.  The  same  year  he  published  the  first  edition  of  his 
"  Comprehensive  Dictionary,"  a  duodecimo  volume  of  420  pages. 
This  work  was  the  first  of  his  own  dictionaries,  and  at  once  had  an 
extensive  sale  and  soon  passed  through  many  editions. 

In  1831  he  made  a  voyage  to  Europe  where  he  spent  many 
months  in  visiting  places  of  interest,  and  in  the  collection  of  works 
in  the  departments  of  philology  and  lexicography,  for  use  in  his 
future  publications. 

Upon  his  return  from  Europe,  he  became  the  editor  of  the 
"American  Almanac,"  a  statistical,  closely  printed,  duodecimo 
Annual,  each  number  containing  about  350  pages,  which  he  con- 
tinued to  edit  for  eleven  years,  with  his  accustomed  care  and  fidel- 
ity. In  1846,  his  "  Universal  and  Critical  Dictionary"  was  first 
published — a  large,  closely  printed  royal  octavo  volume  of  1031 
pages,  and  also  the  same  year,  his  "Elementary  School  Dictionary." 

In  1847,  Dr.  Worcester  was  threatened  with  total  loss  of  sight. 
His  eyes  had  yielded  to  his  long,  unbroken  intellectual  labor,  and 
for  two  years  he  was  nearly  blind.  In  the  meanwhile,  three  op- 
erations were  performed  on  his  right  eye  (which  became  wholly 
blind),  and  two  on  the  left  eye,  which  was  happily  saved.  After 
the  partial  recovery  of  his  sight,  Dr.  Worcester  published  the  fol- 
lowing works : 


GRADUATES    OF    YALE    COLLEGE.  299 

1850,  "Primary  Dictionary  for  Public  Schools,"  i6mo,  384  pages. 

Revised  edition,   1860. 
1855,   "Academic  Dictionary",  for  High  Schools  and  Academies, 

duodecimo,  565  pp. 
1857,  "  Pronouncing  Spelling  Book,"  duodecimo,  180  pp. 

1859,  "Quarto  Dictionary  of  the  English  Language,"  with  1000 
illustrations,  1284  pp. 

1860,  "  Elementary  Dictionary,"   Revised    edition,   duodecimo, 
400  pp. 

1860,  "Comprehensive  Dictionary,"  Revised  edition,  duodecimo. 
612  pp. 

1864,  "Comprehensive  Spelling  Book,"  duodecimo,  156  pp. 

From  a  memoir  of  Dr.  Worcester  read  before  the  American 
Academy,  by  Ezra  Abbot,  LL.  D.,  Librarian  of  Harvard  college, 
a  few  lines  are  here  transcribed,  presenting  an  estimate  of  his  lit- 
erary labors  by  one  who  was  familiar  with  them.  "  All  the  works 
of  Dr.  Worcester,  (says  the  author  of  this  memoir,)  give  evidence 
of  sound  judgment  and  good  taste,  combined  with  indefatigable  in- 
dustry, and  a  conscientious  solicitude  for  accuracy  in  the  statement 
of  facts.  The  tendency  of  his  mind  was  practical,  rather  than 
speculative. 

"  As  a  lexicographer,  he  did  not  undertake  to  reform  the  anom- 
alies of  the  English  language.  His  aim  was  rather  to  preserve  it 
from  corruption.  In  regard  to  both  Orthography  and  Pronouncia- 
tion,  he  took  great  pains  to  ascertain  the  best  usage,  and  perhaps 
there  is  no  lexicographer  whose  judgment  respecting  these  matters 
in  doubtful  cases  deserves  higher  consideration." 

Dr.  Worcester  was  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts  Historical 
Society — of  the  American  Academy — of  the  American  Oriental 
Society,  and  an  Honorary  member  of  the  Royal  Geographical  So- 
ciety of  London.  He  received  the  honorary  degree  of  LL.  D., 
from  Brown  University  in  1847,  and  from  Dartmouth  college  in 
1856. 

In  a  biographical  sketch  of  Dr.  Worcester,  by  Hon.  George  S. 
Hillard,  it  is  said  of  him,  "  His  long  and  busy  life  was  passed  in 
unbroken  literary  toil.  Though  his  manners  were  reserved,  and  his 
habits  retiring,  his  affections  were  strong  ;  and  benevolence  was  an 
ever  active  principle  in  his  nature.  *  *  He  was  a  stranger  to  the 
impulses  of  passion  and  the  sting  of  ambition.  His  life  was  tran- 
quil, happy  and  useful.  A  love  of  truth  and  a  strong  sense  of  duty 


3OO  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

were  leading  traits  in  his  character.  Little  known,  except  by  name, 
to  the  general  public,  he  was  greatly  honored  and  loved  by  that 
small  circle  of  relatives  and  friends  who  had  constant  opportunities 
of  learning  the  warmth  of  his  affections  and  the  strength  of  his 
virtues."* 

REV.  RALPH  EMERSON,  D.  D., 

was  a  son  of  Dea.  Daniel  and  Ama  (Fletcher)  Emerson,  born  in 
Hollis,  August  18,  1787.  Graduated  at  Yale  in  iSiT,  and  at  the 
Theological  seminary  at  Andover  in  1814.  He  was  tutor  at  Yale 
college  from  1814  to  1816;  ordained  as  pastor  of  the  Congregational 
church  at  Norfolk,  Conn.,  1816,  where  he  remained  till  1829,  when 
he  was  appointed  Professor  of  Ecclesiastical  History  and  Pastoral 
Theology  in  the  Theological  seminary  at  Andover.  He  continued 
to  discharge  the  duties  of  that  professorship  with  eminent  ability 
for  twenty-five  years,  till  1854,  when  he  resigned.  He  afterwards 
resided  in  Newburyport,  Mass.,  for  about  five  years,  and  then 
removed  to  Rockport,  111.,  where  he  died  May  2oth,  1863,  set.  75. 
Publications :  Prof.  Emerson  was  the  author  of  an  interesting  and 
appreciative  "Biography"  of  his  brother,  Rev.  Joseph  Emerson,  pub- 
lished in  1834,  a"d  also  of  a  translation  of  Wiggin's  "Augustinism" 
and  "Pelagianism,"  with  copious  notes,  published  in  1840.  He  was 
also  a  frequent  and  able  contributor  to  the  "  Bibliotheca  Sacra" 
the  "  Christian  Spectator,"  and  to  other  theological  publications.! 

REV.  HENRY  A.  WORCESTER, 

son  of  Jesse  and  Sarah  (Parker)  Worcester,  born  in  Hollis,  Sep- 
tember 22,  1812  ;  graduated  at  Yale  college  in  1828  ;  studied  for  the 
ministry  at  the  theological  seminary  at  New.  Haven,  and  was 
licensed  to  preach  in  1833.  Mr.  Worcester  embraced  the  doctrines 
of  the  New  Jerusalem  church  as  taught  in  the  writings  of  Emanuel 
Swedenborg,  and  commenced  preaching  to  the  New  Jerusalem 
society  at  Abington,  Mass,,  in  1833.  After  remaining  at  Abington 
for  some  months,  he  removed  to  Portland,  Me.,  and  was  the  acting 
minister  of  the  New  Jerusalem  societies  in  Portland,  Bath  and  Gar- 
diner, till  his  decease  at  Portland,  May  24,  1841,  £61.38.  A  small 
volume  containing  twelve  of  his  sermons,  on  various  doctrinal  sub- 
jects, was  published  in  1837,  anf^  ^e  was  a^so  ^e  author  of  a  small 
work  on  the  "  Sabbath,"  which  has  been  reprinted  since  his  death. 

*See  also  Allibone's  Dictionary  of  Authors,  Vol.  3,  pp.  3838-39. 
|See  Allen's  American  Biographical  Dictionary,  p.  305. 


GRADUATES    OF    YALE    COLLEGE.  3OI 

In  an  obituary  notice  of  Mr.  Worcester,  published  soon  after  his 
decease,  it  was  said  of  him  "that  his  amiable,  frank  and  social  qual- 
ities gained  him  many  warm  friends,  and  his  character  and  acquire- 
ments were  such  as  to  ensure  to  him  universal  esteem." 

REV.  JOSEPH   EMERSON, 

son  of  Rev.  Daniel  and  Esther  (Frothingham)  Emerson,  was  born 
September  4,  1808,  graduated  at  Yale  college  in  1830,  and  at  the  The- 
ological seminary  at  Andover  in  1835.  Ordained  October  12, 1836. 
Mr.  Emerson  was  agent  of  the  American  Education  Society  from 
1836  to  1839,  and  agent  of  the  Western  College  Society  from  1849 
to  1853.  Settled  as  pastor  of  the  Congregational  church  at  Rock- 
ford,  111.,  from  1854  to  ^59 '  District  Secretary  of  the  American 
Foreign  Christian  Union  from  1859  to  I^7Ii  and  District  Secretary 

of  the  A.  B.  C.  F.  M.  from  1871  to .     He  now  resides  (1879)  in 

Andover,  Mass.* 

BENJAMIN   F.  FARLEY,  ATTORNEY  AT  LAW, 

son  of  Benjamin  M.,  and  Lucretia  (Gardner)  Farley,  born  Novem- 
ber 20,  1808,  graduated  at  Yale  college  in  1832,  read  law  in  the 
office  of  his  father  in  Hollis,  and  for  a  time  practised  his  profession 
with  him.  Afterwards  he  engaged  in  mercantile  business,  and  also 
in  farming;  now  (1879)  resides  in  Worcester,  Mass. 

RALPH  H.  CUTTER,  ATTORNEY  AT  LAW, 

son  of  John  H.  and  Susan  (Poole)  Cutter,  born  in  Louisville,  Ky., 
November  4,  1835,  came  to  Hollis  with  his  parents  in  1849,  gradu- 
ated  at  Yale  college  in  1858,  read  law  in  Nashua,  N.  H.,  and  for 
some  years  practised  his  profession  in  that  place, — afterwards  re- 
moved to  the  State  of  Georgia.  His  father,  John  H.  Cutter,  son  of 
Dr.  Benoni  Cutter,  was  born  in  Hollis,  August  16,  1807,  was  settled 
for  many  years  in  business  at  Louisville,  and  afterwards  returned 
with  his  family  and  settled  in  Hollis. 

*Andover  Triennial  Catalogue. 


3O2  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 


CHAPTER    XXVIII. 

GRADUATES    OF    DARTMOUTH,    MIDDLEBURY,    AMHERST    AND 
OTHER    COLLEGES. 

REV.  SAMUEL  WORCESTER,  D.  D., 

son  of  Noah  and  Lydia  (Taylor)  Worcester,  was  born  in  Hollis, 
November  i,  1770.  He  labored  on  the  farm  of  his  father  in  Hollis, 
till  1791?  and  after  attaining  to  his  twenty-first  year,  prepared  for 
college,  partly  at  the  academy  at  New  Ipswich,  and  in  part  with 
Rev.  Dr.  Wood  in  Boscawen :  entered  Dartmouth  college  in 

o 

1792,  and  graduated  in  1795.  He  was  preceptor  of  New  Ipswich 
academy  in  1796;  afterwards  studied  for  the  ministry  with  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Austin  in  Worcester,  Mass.,  and  was  ordained  as  pastor 
of  the  Congregational  church  and  society  at  Fitchburg,  Mass., 
September  27,  1797.  He  was  dismissed  at  Fitchburg,  by  mutual 
council,  September  8,  1802  ;  afterwards  installed  as  pastor  of  the 
Tabernacle  church  in  Salem  Mass.,  April  20,  1803,  and  chosen 
Professor  of  Theology  at  Dartmouth  college  June  1804,  which  ap- 
pointment he  declined.  "  In  1810,  at  the  first  meeting  of  A.  B.  C. 
F.  M.,  he  was  chosen  Corresponding  Secretary  of  the  Board,  and 
peformed  the  duties  of  that  office  with  eminent  ability  and  success, 
in  connection  with  the  pastorate  of  the  Tabernacle  church,  till  July. 
1819,  when  he  was  relieved  of  a  part  of  liis  duties  as  pastor  by  the 
settlement  of  a  colleague."  These  relations  with  the  American 
Board  and  the  Tabernacle  church  continued  till  his  decease,  at 
Brainerd,  East  Tennessee,  June  7,  1821,  in  his  fifty-first  year.  He 
was  buried  at  Brainerd  and  a  monument  erected  there  by  the  Board 
to  his  memory,  with  the  following  inscription  from  the  pen  of  Hon. 
Jeremiah  Evarts.  his  successor,  as  Corresponding  Secretary : 

"•As  a  minister  of  the  Gospel,  Dr.  Worcester  labored  for  more  than 
twenty  vears  with  zeal,  fidelity  and  success.  As  a  distinguished 
agent  in  exciting  and  directing  the  missionary  enterprise  of  the 
American  churches,  he  displayed  eminent  talents,  and  was  impelled 


GRADUATES    OF    DARTMOUTH    COLLEGE.  303 

by  an  ardent  desire  for  the  salvation  of  the  heathen.  To  the  promo- 
tion of  this  divine  work  he  applied  all  his  faculties  till  exhausted 
by  his  arduous  labors  he  fell  asleep  in  Jesus  while  on  a  visit  of  kind- 
ness to  the  Cherokee  people."  His  remains  were  afterwards  dis- 
interred and  removed  to  Salem  in  1844,  and  deposited  in  the  Har- 
mony Grove  cemetery. 

He  received  the  honorary  degree  of  D.  D.  from  Princeton  college 
in  1811.  Very  many  of  the  sermons,  public  addresses  and  other 
writings*  of  Dr.  Worcester  have  been  published,  and  among  them 
the  following  :  "  Orations,"  at  Dartmouth  college,  July  4,  1795  ;  at 
New  Ipswich,  July  4,  1796;  "  On  the  Death  of  Washington,"  at 
Fitchburg,  1800.  "Sermons."  Six  sermons  on  "  Eternal  Judg- 
ment." 1800;  "Farewell,"  at  Fitchburg,  1802;  "Dedication" 
sermon  at  Beverly,  1803  ;  •'  Righteousness  as  conducive  to  Happi- 
ness," 1804  ;  "  The  Messiah  of  the  Scriptures,"  1808  ;  "  Funeral  of 
Mrs.  Eleanor  Emerson,"  1809  ;  "Ordination  of  Rev.  E.  L.  Parker,'' 
1810;  "State  Fast,"  .and  at  the  "Ordination"  of  Rev.  Henry 
Griffin,  1811  ;  "  National  Fast,"  1812  ;  "  Before  the  Foreign  Mis- 
sionary Society  of  Salem,  1813  ;  "Funeral  of  Rev.  Rums  Anderson," 
1814  ;  "  Paul  on  Mars  Hill,"  1815  ;  "  At  the  First  Anniversary  of 
the  American  Education  Society,"  1816  ;  "  Before  the  Massachusetts 
Society  for  the  Suppression  of  Intemperance,"  1817  ;  "Posthumous 
Sermons,"  one  volume  duodecimo,  pp.  500,  1823  ;  "Letters  to  the 
Rev.  Thomas  Baldwin,  on  Baptism,  1807  ;  three  letters  to  Rev.  Dr. 
Channing,  on  "American  Unitarianism,"  1815;  "Christian 
Psalmody,"  and  "  Watt's  Entire  and  Select  Hymns,"  1818. 

"His  letters  to  Dr.  Channing,  in  connection  with  the  Unitarian 
Controversy,  have  been  considered  as  almost  unrivalled  specimens 
of  polemic  theological  discussion,  and  his  published  sermons  are 
rich  in  evangelical  thought,  logically  and  luminously  presented."* 

REV.  ABEL    FARLEY, 

son  of  Capt.  Caleb  and  Elizabeth  Farley,  was  born  in  Hollis,  July 
i /.  1773,  graduated  at  Dartmouth  college,  1798,  and  studied  for 
the  ministry  in  Hollis,  with  Rev.  Eli  Smith.  Ordained  as  pastor 
of  the  Congregational  church  at  Manchester,  Vermont,  February 
6.  1805.  Resigned  at  Manchester  in  1812;  afterwards  removed  to 
Goshen,  Massachusetts,  and  was -the  acting  pastor  of  the  Congre- 
gational church  at  Goshen,  till  his  death  at  that  place,  March  22, 
1817,  a*.  43. 


*.S«-e  Allilvmc's    Die.  of   Authors,  Vol.   3,  p.  2839,  and  Spragruc's  Am.  Pulpit,  Vol.  2,  p.  398. 


304  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

REV.  MIGHILL  BLOOD, 

son  of  Daniel  and  Mary  (Putnam)  Blood,  born  in  Hollis,  Decem- 
ber 13,  1777.  Graduated  at  Dartmouth  college,  1800;  ordained 
as  pastor  of  the  Congregational  church  at  Buckstown,  now  Bucks- 
port,  Maine,  May  12,  1803  ;  dismissed  in  1840.  He  afterwards  re- 
sided in  Ellsworth,  Maine,  but  subsequently  returned  to  Bucks- 
port,  "and  there  terminated  an  humble  and  valuable  life,"  April  6, 
1852,  set.  74.* 

• 

REV.  CALEB  J.  TENNEY,  D.  D. 

The  ancestors  of  Dr.  Tenney  were  from  Rowley,  county  of 
Yorkshire,  in  the  northerly  part  of  England,  and  came  to  New 
England,  and  settled  in  Rowley,  Massachusetts,  about  the  year 
1638.  His  grandfather,  William  Tenney,  came  from  Rowley, 
Massachusetts,  and  settled  in  Hollis  about  the  year  1746.  Dr.  Ten- 
ney was  the  son  of  Capt.  William  and  Phebe  (Jewett)  Tenney, 
and  was  born  in  Hollis,  May  3,  1780.  He  graduated  at  Dartmouth  ' 
college,  in  1801,  with  the  first  rank  and  honors  of  his  class,  of 
which  Hon.  Daniel  Webster  was  a  member.  He  studied  for  the 
ministry,  with  Rev.  Dr.  Burton,  Thetford,  Vt.,  and  Rev.  Dr. 
Spring  of  Newburyport,  Mass.,  and  was  ordained  as  pastor  of  the 
Congregational  church  at  Newport,  R.  L,  September  12,  1804. 
Married  Ruth  Channing  of  Newport,  1810.  '  Resigned  his  charge 
at  Newport,  on  account  of  ill  health  in  May,  1814.  He  was  af- 
terwards installed  as  pastor  of  the  Congregational  church  at  Weth- 
ersfield,  Ct.,  March  27,  1816.  He  received  the  honorary  degree  of 
D.  D.,  from  Yale,  in  1829.  Resigned  his  pastorate  at  Wethers- 
field,  in  consequence  of  impaired  health  and  failure  of  his  voice, 
January  1841.  In  1842,  he  removed  to  Northampton,  Mass., 
and  in  1843  was  appointed  agent  of  the  American  Colonization 
Society,  and  for  the  remainder  of  his  life,  gave  himself  wholly 
to  that  work  in  which  he  had  eminent  success.  His  last  ad- 
dress in  behalf  of  this  society  was  delivered  at  North  Amherst, 
September  19,  1847,  ^ut  nine  days  before  hig  death,  which  took 
place  at  Northampton,  September  28,  1847,  at  tne  aSe  °f  ^7-  In 
Dr.  Sprague's  "Annals  of  the  American  Pulpit,"  it  is  said  of  Dr. 
Tenney,  "  That  he  was  a  learned  theologian,  and  a  useful  preacher 
— a  judicious  and  faithful  pastor,  and  a  man  of  eminent  and  steady 
piety  —  amiable,  just  and  generous  and  a  true  philanthropist." 

*  Chapman's  Alumni  of  Dartmouth  College,  p.  99. 


GRADUATES    OF    DARTMOUTH    COLLEGE.  305 

Rev.  Dr.  Tyler,  late  President  of  East  Windsor  Theological  sem- 
inary, in  a  biographical  sketch  of  Dr.  Tenney,  says  of  him.  that 
"  he  was  one  of  the  most  impressive  preachers  I  ever  heard,  but 
excelled  more  in  the  composition  than  in  the  delivery  of  his  ser- 
mons. They  were  characterized  by  a  richness  of  matter,  lucid 
arrangement,  thorough  discussion  and  a  faithful  application  of  the 
truth." 

Among  the  published  sermons  of  Dr.  Tenney.  were  two  on 
"  Baptism  ;"  at  the  "ordination  of  Rev.  Royal  Robbins,"  1816  ;  on 
the  "death  of  Rev.  John  Marsh,  D.  D.,"  1821  ;  "New  England 
Distinguished,  — A  Thanksgiving  Sermon,"  1827  ;  at  the  "  Funeral 
of  Rev.  Samuel  Austin,  D.  D.."  1830. — and  at  the  "  Funeral  of 
Rev.  Alfred  Mitchell,"  1832.* 

REV.  DAVID  JEWETT, 

son  of  Jacob  and  Elizabeth  (Cummings)  Jewett.  born  August  16, 
1773,  and  graduated  at  Dartmouth  college  in  1801.  Studied  for  the 
ministry  with  Rev.  Dr.  Emmons.  D.  D.,  of  Franklin.  Mass.,  and 
Rev.  Dr.  Spring  of  Newburyport, — ordained  as  pastor  of  the  Con- 
gregational church  at  Rockport,  Mass.,  Oct.  30,  1805.  He  con- 
tinued in  the  pastorate  of  that  church  for  thirty-one  years,  when  he 
resigned  on  account  of  impaired  health.  During  his  ministry  his 
church  is  said  to  have  increased  from  a  membership  of  ten  to  two 
hundred  and  fifty.  Allen,  in  his  American  Biographies,  says  of 
him,  "  That  he  was  a  man  of  childlike  simplicity  and  Christian 
tenderness,  but  of  an  iron  purpose,  resolute,  fearless  and  immov- 
able." Died  at  Waltham,  Mass.,  July  16,  1841,  *t.  67. 

An  interesting  event  in  respect  to  Mr.  Jewett  was  the  burial  of 
his  remains  at  Rockport,  July  13,  1856,  fifteen  years  after  his  death  ; 
a  sermon  being  preached  on  the  occasion  by  his  son,  Rev.  William 
R.  Jewett,  then  of  Plymouth,  N.  H..  who  also  made  an  address  at 
the  grave,  which  was  responded  to  on  the  part  of  the  people  by  Dr. 
Benjamin  Haskell. 

CAPT.  JONATHAN  B.  EASTMAN, 

son  of  Jonathan  and  Sarah  (Fletcher)  Eastman,  born  in  Hollis, 
JanuaryS,  1780,  graduated  at  Dartmouth  college  in  1803,  enlisted 
in  the  United  States  army,  and  was  appointed  Ensign  the  same 
year,  Lieutenant  in  1805,  and  Captain  in  1813.  Soon  after  this  last 

*Sprague's   American    Pulpit,  Vol.  2,  pp.  473,  474,  475,  and   Allen's  American    Biography 

PP-  744.  78S- 

(20) 


306  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES. 

appointment,  Capt.  Eastman  left  the  army  and  returned  to  Hollis, 
there  passed  the  rest  of  his  life,  and  died  in  Hollis  April  26,  1827, 
<et.  47.  Capt.  Eastman  was  with  the  American  army  in  Canada,  in 
1812,  at  the  time  of  its  surrender  by  Gen.  Hull,  and  was  then 
United  States  paymaster. 

NEHEMIAH  HARDY,  JUN.,   ATTORNEY   AT   LAW, 

son  of  Nehemiah  and  Abigail  Hardy,  born  in  Hollis,  April  10, 
1781,  and  graduated  at  Dartmouth  college  in  1803.  Read  law  in 
Boston,  but  did  not  practise  his  profession.  Removed  to  Wilming- 
ton, North  Carolina,  in  1807,  anc^  there  engaged  in  mercantile  pur- 
suits;  and  afterwards,  in  1815,  removed  to  Tennessee  and  died  at 
Wesley  in  that  State,  August  26.  1839,  **.  5$- 

REV.  STEPHEN7  FARLEY,  JUN., 

son  of  Stephen  and  Mary  (Shattuck)  Farley,  born  in  Hollis,  Octo- 
ber 24,  1779,  graduated  at  Dartmouth  college  in  1804.  Ordained 
as  pastor  of  the  Congregational  church  at  Claremont,  New  Hamp- 
shire, December  24,  1806.  Dismissed  April  21,  1819.  Afterwards 
he  was  for  several  years  preceptor  of  the  Academy  at  Atkinson, 
New  Hampshire,  in  the  mean  time  supplying  the  pulpit  of  the 
Congregational  society  in  that  town.  He  was  reputed  to  be  an  ex- 
•cellent  and  accomplished  scholar,  a  ready  writer,  and  was  a  volum- 
inous contributor  to  the  periodicals  of  the  day.  Died  at  Amesbury, 
Mass.,  Sept.  20.  1851.  act.  71. 

REV.   ELI    SMITH,  JUN., 

son  of  Rev.  Eli  and  Catharine  (Sheldon)  Smith,  born  in  Sunder- 
land,  Mass.,  July  16,  1787,  and  came  to  Hollis  with  his  father  in 
1793.  Graduated  at  Dartmouth  college  in  1809.  Studied  for  the 
ministry  in  Philadelphia,  and  was  first  settled  as  pastor  of  a  Pres- 
byterian church  in  Frankfort,  Ky.  He  was  pastor  of  the  church  at 
Frankfort  for  about  ten  years,  and  was  afterwards,  in  1829,  installed 
as  pastor  of  a  Presbyterian  church  in  Paris,  Ky.  It  is  said  of  him 
•"that  his  rank  as  a  minister  was  inferior  to  that  of  no  one  of  his 
^temporaries  in  Kentucky."  Died  at  Frankfort.  Oct.  23.  1839, 
aet.  52. 

WILLIAM  TENNEY,  JUN.,   ATTORNEY   AT   LAW, 

son  of  Capt.  William  and  Phebe  (Jewett)  Tenney,  born  in  Hollis, 
September  12,  1785.  Graduated  1808,  read  law  at  the  law  school 
of  Judges  Reeves  and  Gould  in  Litchfield.  Ct.  Was  admitted  to 


GRADUATES  OF  DARTMOUTH  COLLEGE.  307 

the  bar  in  Boston  in  1811*  and  first  settled  in  his  profession  in  Salem 
in  1813;  removed  from  Salem  to  Newmarket,  N.  H.,  in  1815, 
-and  practised  his  profession  at  that  place  till  his  decease,  Septem- 
ber 13,  1838,  a?t.  53.  Mr.  Tenney  was  assistant  clerk  of  the  New 
Hampshire  Senate  in  1823. 

REV.  LEONARD  JEWETT, 

•son  of  Jacob  and  Elizabeth  (Cummings)  Jewett,  born  in  Hollis, 
October  2,  1787.  Graduated  at  Dartmouth  college,  1810,  and  at 
the  Theological  seminary  at  Andover  in  1813.  Was  licensed  to 
preach  and  employed  for  several  years  as  a  home  missionary  in 
the  States  of  New  York  and  New  Hampshire.  He  was  afterwards 
ordained  as  pastor  of  the  Congregational  church  at  Temple,  N.  H., 
March  6,  1833.  Resigned  on  account  of  impaired  health  in  1844, 
and  afterwards  resided  in  Hollis  till  his  decease,  February  16.  1862, 
aet.  74. 

REV.  GRANT  POWERS, 

son  of  Samson  and  Elizabeth  (Nutting)  Powers,  and  grandson  of 
Capt.  Peter  Powers,  the  first  settler  of  Hollis,  was  born  in  Hollis, 
March  31,  1784,  and  graduated  at  Dartmouth  college  in  1810. 
Studied  for  the  ministry  with  Rev.  Dr.  Burton,  Thetford,  Vt.  Or- 
dained as  pastor  of  the  Congregational  church  at  Haverhill,  N.  H., 
January  4, 1815.  Dismissed  at  Haverhill,  April  28,1829.  Installed 
as  pastor  of  the  Congregational  church  at  Goshen,  Ct.,  August  27, 
of  the  same  year,  and  continued  pastor  of  the  church  at  Goshen 
till  his  death.  April  10,  1841,  act.  57.  In  a  biographical  sketch  of 
Mr.  Powers,  it  is  said  of  him,  "  That  as  a  preacher  he  was  able, 
ingenious,  faithful  and  instructive.  That  he  was  endued  with  much 
practical  wisdom,  writh  uncommon  frankness  and  candor,  and  great 
generosity,  and  that  he  was  highly  esteemed  for  his  talents  and  vir- 
tues, and  his  eminent  and  agreeable  social  qualities."  He  was  a 
ready  and  popular  writer,  and  an  earnest  and  eloquent  public 
speaker,  and  the  productions  of  his  pen  display  great  good  taste, 
versatility,  and  literary  ability.  Publications, — among  his  published 
writings  are  the  following  :  Sermons — "  At  the  ordination  of  Rev. 
E.  J.  Boardman,"  1822  ;  "  At  the  ordination  of  Rev.  J.  D.  Farns- 
worth,"  1827;  "  At  the  funeral  of  Rev.  William  Andrews."  1838; 
•'Centennial  Address  at  Hollis,"  1830;  "Centennial  Address  at 
Goshen,  Ct.,"  1838  ;  "An  Essay  upon  the  Influence  of  the  Imagina- 
tion upon  the  Nervous  System,"  1828  ;  "•  Historical  Sketches  of  the 
Coos  Country,"  1841.* 

*Drake's  Biographical  Dictionary,  p.  735.     Allen's  Biographical  Dictionary,  p.  675. 


308  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

NOAII  HARDY,  M.  D., 

son  of  Phlneas  and  Sibyl  (Shattuck)  Hardy,  was  born  in  HollisT 
March  23,  1785.  Graduated  at  Dartmouth  college,  1812;  studied 
medicine  and  settled  as  a  physician  in  Hollis,  about  the  year  1814, 
and  practised  his  profession  there  till  his  death  at  Hollis,  December 
25,  1850,  set.  65.  He  was  much  respected  in  his  profession,  and 
also  for  his  amiable  and  exemplary  character.  / 

LUKE  EASTMAN,  ATTORNEY  AT  LAW, 

son  of  Lt.  Amos  and  Ruth  (Flagg)  Eastman,  was  born  in  Hollis, 
June  22,  1790,  and  graduated  at  Dartmouth  college,  1812.  He 
read  law  in  Boston  and  commenced  the  practice  of  his  profession 
in  that  city  in  1816.  He  afterwards  in  1820,  removed  to  Sterlingr 
Mass.  ;  thence  to  Dracut,  and  subsequently  settled  in  Lowell,  as  a 
teacher  of  music,  for  which  he  was  distinguished.  Died  at  Lowell, 
February  3,  1847,  set.  56. 

REV.  DAVID  PAGE  SMITH, 

son  of  Rev.  David  and  Hepzibah  (Worcester)  Smith,  born  in 
Hollis,  September  20,  1795.  Graduated  at  Dartmouth  College. 
1823  ;  Studied  for  the  ministry  with  Rev.  Dr.  Wood  of  Boscawen, 
N.  H.  ;  ordained  as  pastor  of  the  Congregational  church  at  Sand- 
wich, N.  H.,  May  23,  1827  ;  dismissed,  June  28,  1832  ;  afterwards- 
installed  as  pastor  of  the  Congregational  church  at  Parsonsfield,  and 
Newfield,  Maine,  July  n,  1832:  dismissed  in  1839,  and  subse- 
quently, May  8,  1845,  was  settled  in  the  ministry  at  Greenfield,'  N. 
H.  Died  at  Greenfield,  October  n,  1850,  ast.  55. 

REV.  WILLIAM  P.  EASTMAN, 

son  of  Alpheus  and  Elizabeth  (Ames)  Eastman,  born  in  Hollis  Sep- 
tember 20,  1813.  Graduated  at  Dartmouth  college  in  1842,  and  at 
the  Theological  seminary  at  Andover,  in  1845.  Ordained  as  pastor 
of  the  Presbyterian  church  at  New  Comerstown,  Ohio,  in  1846. 
Dismissed  at  New  Comerstown,  and  afterwards  installed  as  a  pas- 
tor of  the  Presbyterian  church  in  Union,  Ohio,  and  still  (1879) 
resides  in  that  State. 

REV.  CHARLES  CUMMINGS, 

son  of  Thomas  and  Mary  (Woolson)  Cummings,  born  June  7T 
1817.  Graduated  at  Dartmouth  college,  1842,  and  at  the  Theolog- 
ical seminary  at  Andover  in  1845.  Licensed  to  preach  by  the 


GRADUATES    OF    DARTMOUTH    COLLEGE.  309 

Andover  Association  in  1846,  and  after  preaching  for  a  short  time, 
gave  up  his  profession,  on  account  of  impaired  health.  For  the 
last  twenty  years  or  more  he  has  been  principal  of  the  High  school 
in  Medford,  Mass.,  where  he  still  resides  (1879). 

CHARLES  H.  MOOAR,  ATTORNEY  AT  LAW, 

son  of  Gardner  and  Mary  (Hardy)  Mooar,  born  in  Hollis,  June  17, 
1822.  Graduated  at  Dartmouth  college,  1848.  Read  law  in  Cov- 
ington, Ky.,  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1850,  and  settled  in  his  profes- 
sion at  Covington.  He  was.  judge  of  the  County  Court  of  Kenton 
county,  Ky.,  from  1858  to  1862.  Still  resides  at  Covington. 

EDWARD  F.  JOHNSON,  ATTORNEY  AT  LAW, 

son  of  Noah  and  Letitia  (Claggett)  Johnson,  born  in  Hollis,  Octo- 
ber 21,  1842.  Graduated  at  Dartmouth  college  in  1864.  Read  law 
in  Nashua,  N.  H.,  settled  in  and  now  practises  his  profession  in 
Marlborough.  Mass.,  having  also  an  office  in  Boston. 

JOSEPH  B.  PARKER,  ATTORNEY  AT  LAW, 

son  of  Joseph  D.  and  Lucretia  (Smith)  Parker,  born  in  Hollis,  Sep- 
tember i,  1840.     Graduated  at  Dartmouth  college,  1869.    For  some 
years  after  leaving  college  he  was  a  bookseller  and  stationer  at  Han 
over,  afterwards  read  law  in  Nashua,  N.  H.,  and  settled  in  his  pro- 
fession at  Nashua,  where  he  now  resides  (1879). 

FRANKLIN  WORCESTER,  ATTORNEY  AT  LAW, 

son  of  John  N.  and  Sarah  (Holden)  Worcester,  born  in  Hollis, 
October  27,  1845.  Graduated  at  Dartmouth  college  in  1870.  Read 
law  at  the  law  school  in  Cambridge,  practised  his  profession  for  a 
short  time  at  Cambridge,  and  afterwards  engaged  in  mercantile  and 
manufacturing  business  with  his  brothers  at  Cambridge,  and  at 
Hollis,  N.  H.  He  was  Representative  from  Hollis  to  the  New 
Hampshire  General  Court  in  1877  and  1878. 

JOHN  H.  HARDY,  ATTORNEY  AT  LAW, 

son  of  John  and  Hannah  (Farley)  Hardy,  born  in  Hollis,  February 
2,  1847.  Graduated  at  Dartmouth  college  in  1870.  Read  law  in 
Boston  and  settled  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  that  city. 

CHARLES  L.  DAY, 

son  of  Rev.  Pliny  B.  and  Mary  (Chapin)  Day,  born  in  Hollis,  April 
28,  1854.  Graduated  at  Dartmouth  college,  1877.  Now  (1879) 
reading  law  in  Iowa. 


3IO  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

GEORGE  W.  SAUNDERSON, 

son  of  William  P.  and  Hannah  (Marshall)  Saunderson,  born  in-. 
Hollis,  April  22,  1854.  Graduated  at  Dartmouth  college  in  1877.. 
Now  (1879)  reading  law  in  Nashua. 

GRADUATES    OF    MIDDLEBURY    COLLEGE. 
REV.  FIFIELD  HOLT, 

son  of  Fifield  and  Anna  (Lakin)  Holt,  born  1 784 ;  graduated  at 
Middlebury  college,  1810,  and  at  the  Theological  seminary  at 
Andover,  in  1813.  He  was  ordained  as  pastor  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church  and  society  at  Bloomfield,  Me.,  June  14  1815,  where 
he  remained  till  his  decease,  at  Bloomfield,  November  15,  1830. 
at.  45. 

REV.  SOLOMON  HARDY, 

son  of  Solomon  and  Alary  (Bailey)  Hardy,  born  in  Hollis,  Septem- 
ber 27,  1796;  graduated  at  Middiebury  college,  1824,  and  at  the 
Theological  seminary  at  Andover,  in  1827.  Mr.  Hardy  was- 
ordained  as  a  home  missionary,  at  Andover,  November  10,  1827. 
He  afterwards  preached,  as  "  stated  supply  "  or  acting  pastor,  for  a 
number  of  years  for  several  churches  and  societies  in  Illinois  and 
Massachusetts,  and  died  while  so  engaged  at  Eastham.  Mass..  Sep- 
tember 18,  1842,321.45. 

GRADUATES    OF    BROWN    UNIVERSITY. 
REV.  DANIEL   KENDRICK, 

son  of  Capt.  Daniel  and  Mary  (Pool)  Kendrick,  born  in  Hollis. 
March  30,  1785;  graduated  at  Brown  University  in  1810;  studied 
for  the  ministry  with  Rev.  Caleb  J.  Tenney,  D.  D.,  at  Newport, 
R.  I.  Ordained  pastor  of  the  Congregational  church  and  society 
at  Pittston,  Me.,  November  28,  1812.  Died  at  Wilton.  Me..  May. 
1868,  set.  83. 

REV.  LUTHER  SMITH,   * 

son  of  Rev.  Eli  and  Ama  (Emerson)  Smith,  born  in  Hollis,  Au- 
gust u,  1800;  graduated  at  Brown  University,  1824;  read  law 
with  Hon.  B.  M.  Farley,  in  Hollis  ;  afterwards  studied  for  the  min- 
istry with  his  brother,  Rev.  Eli  Smith,  Jun.,  at  Frankfort,  Ky.  ; 
subsequently  established,  and  for  many  years  conducted  an  acad- 
emy in  Bourbon  county,  Ky.  ;  June  8,  1874,  he  was  settled  in  the 
ministry  as  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  society,  at  Zanes- 
field,  Ohio,  where  he  still  resides. 


GRADUATES    OF    AMHERST    COLLEGE.  311 

THOMAS  ABBOT  FARLEY, 

son  of  Dea.  Thomas  and  Susannah  (Burge)  Farley,  born  in  Hollis. 
July  8,   1813  ;  graduated  at  Amherst  college  in  1838,  and  at  An- 
dover  Theological  seminary  in   1841.     Died  in  Hollis.  August  26, 
1841,  a  short  time  after  graduating  at  Andover.  aet.  28. 

REV.  AMOS   F.  SHATTUCK, 

son  of  Amos  and  Margaret  (Ball)  Shattuck,  born  in  Hollis,  July 
9,  1832.  Graduated  at  Amherst  college,  1859,  and  at  the  Union 
Theological  seminary  in  New  York  in  1862.  Preached  for  several 
years  in  Surry  and  Charlestown,  N.  H.,  and  ordained  as  pastor  of 
a  Congregational  church  at  Durham, Me.,  June  3,  1868.  Dismissed 
at  Durham,  and  afterwards  preached  in  Worcester,  Vt.,  and  Hatch- 
ville,  Mass.,  till  April,  1872,  when  he  ceased  to  preach  on  account 
of  ill  health.  Now  resides  in  Hollis. 

GRADUATES    OF    MARVVILLE    COLLEGE,    TENN. 
REV.   PHILLIPS   WOOD, 

son  of  Dea.  Phillips  and  Dorothy  (Davis)  Wood,  born  in  Hollis, 
July  12,  1801.  Graduated  at  Maryville  college  in  1831.  Studied 
for  the  ministry  at  the  Theological  seminary  at  Maryville.  and  was 
afterwards  ordained  as  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Blounts- 
ville,  Tenn.  Subsequently  removed  to  Piqua.  Ohio,  where  he 
died  June  n,  1856.  aet.  54. 

LEONARD   WOOD,  M.   D.. 

son  of  Dea.  Phillips  and  Dorothy  (Davis)  Wood,  born  in  Hollis. 
October  22.  1805.  Graduated  at  Maryville  college  in  1832. 
Studied  medicine,  and  settled  in  his  profession  at  Maryville.  where 
he  died,  August.  1854.  aet.  48. 

BEXJAMIX  F.  EMERSON, 

son  of  Rev.  Daniel  and  Esther  (Frothingham)  Emerson,  born  in 
Hollis,  July  3,  1806.  Graduated  at  Union  collge,  N.  Y..  1830. 
Read  law  in  Hollis,  and  settled  in  his  profession,  first  in  Townsend. 
Mass.,  and  afterwards  removed  to  Nashua.  N.  H..  where  he  still 
resides  in  the  practice  of  his  profession. 

REV.  ELI  N.  SAWTELL,  D.   D., 

son  of  John  and  Martha  (Wallingford)  Sawtell,  was  born  in  Mil- 
ford,  N.  H.,  September  8,  1799,  and  came  to  Hollis  to  reside  when 
of  the  age  of  ten  years,  his  father  being  a  farmer,  in  very  moderate 


312  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

circumstances.  In  his  early  boyhood,  young  Eli  worked  upon  the 
farm  with  his  father  in  Hollis,  but  being  then  of  feeble  constitution, 
farm  work  was  found  to  be  too  hard  for  him,  and  when  about  the 
age  of  sixteen,  he  was  apprenticed  to  a  shoemaker  to  learn  his 
trade.  In  the  fall  of  1817,  Rev.  Eli  Smith,  Jun.,  then  of  Frank- 
fort, Ky.,  made  a  visit  to  Hollis,  one  purpose  of  which  was,  to 
engage  a  small  company  of  young  men,  inclined  to  study  for  the 
ministry,  to  go  to  Tennessee  to  be  educated,  with  that  view.  Upon 
hearing  the  public  address  of  Mr.  Smith  upon  the  subject,  young 
Sawtell,  then  of  the  age  of  eighteen,  and  two  other  Hollis  young 
men,  of  about  the  same  age,  made  up  their  minds  to  go  to  Ten- 
nessee the  spring  following.  But  when  spring  came,  the  courage 
of  the  other  two  failed.  Under  the  agreement,  made  with  his 
master,  one  year's  service  was  still  due  on  the  contract  of  appren- 
ticeship. Having  made  up  his  mind  to  go  to  Tennessee,  he  bought 
of  his  master  this  last  year's  time,  by  giving  him  his  note  for  $90. 
to  be  paid  when  he  should  return  as  a  minister  from  Tennessee, 
which  debt  was  promptly  paid  eight  years  after  on  his  first  return 
to  New  England. 

On  the  first  of  May,  1818,  Dr.  Sawtell,  then  in  his  nineteenth 
year,  started  for  Tennessee,  a  distance  of  eleven  hundred  miles  (a 
large  part  of  the  way  through  the  wilderness),  on  foot  and  alone, 
with  his  whole  wardrobe,  and  library,  consisting  of  a  Bible,  hymn- 
book  and  primer,  tied  up  in  a  cotton  handkerchief.  In  this  plight, 
and  with  $14  for  his  expenses,  he  made  his  way  to  Maryville, 
Tenn..  prepared  for  college  at  the  school  in  that  place,  graduated 
at  the  college  in  Greenville,  Tenn.,  in  1823,  and  at  the  theological 
seminary  at  Maryville  in  1825,  and  was  licensed  to  preach  the  same 
year.  After  being  employed  for  about  a  year  in  collecting  funds 
for  Maryville  college,  in  the  year  1826,  he  came  on  to  New  Eng- 
land and  spent  two  years  or  more,  in  various  States,  as  an  evan- 
gelist. He  afterwards  returned  to  the  west,  and  in  1829  was  settled 
as  pastor  of  a  Presbyterian  church  in  Louisville,  Ky.,  where  he  con- 
tinued till  1836.  In  the  year  last  named,  he  was  appointed  agent 
of  the  American  Seamen's  Friend  Society,  and  went  to  Havre  in 
France,  where,  through  his  efforts,  a  seamen's  chapel  was  built 
and  a  church  established,  of  which  he  became  pastor  till  1843, 
when  he  was  appointed  agent  of  the  Foreign  Evangelical  Society, 
in  the  service  of  which  he  was  employed  for  several  years.  This 
agency  led  to  his  travelling  and  preaching  very  extensively,  in  both 


GRADUATE    OF    GREENVILLE    COLLEGE.  313 

Europe  and  the  United  States,  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties,  he 
having  crossed  the  Atlantic,  on  his  various  missions,  no  less  than 
eight  times.  His  connection  with  that  society  having  been  dis- 
solved, he  established  a  flourishing  female  academy  at  Cleveland. 
Ohio,  of  which  he  was  principal  till  1854.  when  he  accepted  a 
second  appointment  to  take  charge  of  the  seamen's  chapel  at 
Havre,  where  he  continued  for  the  next  nine  years.  In  1863  he 
again  returned  to  the  United  States,  and  for  a  year  or  more  served 
in  the  union  army  in  the  care  of  our  sick  and  wounded  soldiers. 
In  March,  1865,  he  was  again  settled  in  the  ministry,  in  charge  of 
the  Congregational  church  and  society  in  Saratoga,  N.  Y.,  where 
he  continued  for  about  four  years,  when,  by  reason  of  impaired 
sight  and  health,  he  resigned  and  removed  to  Brooklyn,  N.  Y., 
and  after  some  years  to  Newmarket,  N.  J.,  where  he  still  resides. 
While  in  Europe  Dr.  Sawtell  received  the  honorary  degree  of  D. 
D..  from  the  college  at  Marvville.  Term. 


314  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 


CHAPTER    XXIX. 

MINISTERS,   PHYSICIANS  AND  LAWYERS  NOT  GRADUATES  OF  COLLEGE 

REV.  NOAH  WORCESTER.  D.  D., 
\  . 

son  of  Noah  and  Lydia  (Taylor)  Worcester,  was  born  November 
28,  1758.  The  opportunities  of  Dr.  Worcester  for  attending  school 
were  limited  to  the  short  public  schools  in  Hollis,  which,  such 
as  they  were,  ended  with  the  winter  of  1774-5.  In  the  spring  of 
1775'  a*  the  age  of  sixteen,  he  enlisted  in  the  army,  and  was  in  the 
Hollis  company  at  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  In  1776  he  went  to 
Plymouth,  N.  H.,  where  he  taught  his  first  school,  having  (as  he 
says  in  a  short  autobiography)  "never  studied  Geography  or  Gram- 
mar, or  even  had  the  benefit  of  a  dictionary."  While  at  Plymouth, 
he  says :  "After  I  became  an  instructor,  1  felt  the  importance  of 
learning,  and  exerted  myself  to  obtain  it  by  such  means  as  were  in 
my  power.  I  found  myself  deficient  in  the  art  of  writing,  and 
being  at  Plymouth  where,  in  the  time  of  the  war,  it  was  difficult  to 
procure  paper,  I  wrote  over  a  quantity  of  white  birch  bark,  in  imi- 
tation of  some  excellent  copies  I  found  at  Plymouth." 

Again  in  1777  ne  was  m  the  army,  and  was  in  the  Hollis  com- 
pany at  the  battle  of  Bennington,  where,  in  his  eighteenth  year,  he 
was  fife  major.  In  September,  1778,  having  bought  of  his  father 
the  remaining  fourteen  months  of  his  minority,  he  went  again  to 
Plymouth  with  the  expectation  of  spending  his  life  as  a  farmer, 
except  as  he  might  occasionally  teach  school.  The  fall  after  he  was 
married,  on  his  twenty-first  birthday. 

In  1782  he  removed  with  his  family  to  Thornton,  N.  H.,  where 
he  had  a  small  farm,  and,  while  carrying  on  his  farm  there,  also 
worked  at  the  ti-ade  of  a  shoemaker,  which  he  had  learned  in  his 
boyhood.  Obliged  to  practise  the  most  rigid  economy  in  respect 
to  time,  when  at  work  upon  his  shoe  bench,  he  was  in  the  habit  of 


0-1, 


MINISTERS    NOT    GRADUATES.  315 

keeping  pen  and  ink  by  his  side  to  note  down  any  important 
thoughts  as  they  occurred.  In  this  way  he  accustomed  himself  to  a 
rigorous  mental  discipline,  especially  in  the  writing  of  dissertations 
on  various  theological  subjects. 

In  1785  he  addressed  a  letter,  (which  was  afterwards  published,) 
to  Rev.  John  Murray,  the  noted  Universalist  preacher  of  that  day, 
"On  the  Origin  of  Evil."  This  was  Dr.  Worcester's  first  publica- 
tion, and  soon  brought  him  into  public  notice,  and  prepared  the  way 
for  his  introduction  into  the  ministry.  Upon  the  recommendation 
of  the  neighboring  ministers  he  was  licensed  to  preach  in  1786,  and 
on  the  1 8th  of  October  of  that  year  was  ordained  as  pastor  of  the 
Congregational  church  and  society  in  Thornton.  He  had  lived  in 
Thornton  for  five  years  before  his  ordination,  and  in  the  meantime 
had  been  schoolmaster,  selectman,  town  clerk,  justice  of  the  peace, 
and  representative  to  the  general  court.  From  1802  to  1804  he 
was  the  first  missionary  of  the  New  Hampshire  Missionary  So- 
ciety. In  1810  he  removed  to  Salisbury,  N.  H.,  and  for  three 
years  was  the  assistant  of  his  brother,  Thomas  Worcester,  as  min- 
ister of  that  place.  While  at  Salisbury  he  published  his  well- 
known  work  entitled  "  Bible  News,"  which  afterwards  passed 
through  many  editions. 

In  1813,  the  monthly  periodical  called  the  "Christian  Disciple" 
was  established  by  a  number  of  the  prominent  clergymen  of  Boston, 
and  Dr.  Worcester  was  invited  to  become  its  editor.  On  the 
acceptance  of  this  invitation  he  removed  to  Brighton,  Mass.,  and 
continued  to  be  the  editor  of  that  periodical  till  1818.  While  so 
engaged  his  mind  became  very  deeply  interested  in  the  cause  of 
universal  peace,  and  in  1814  he  published  his  celebrated  pamphlet 
entitled  "  A  Solemn  Review  of  the  Custom  of  War,"  an  essay 
that  was  many  times  republished  in  this  country  and  England,  and 
was  translated  into  several  foreign  languages.  The  publication  of 
this  pamphlet,  not  very  long  after,  led  to  the  formation  of  the  Mas- 
sachusetts Peace  Society,  of  which  Dr.  Worcester  was  elected  Sec- 
retary. In  1819  a  quarterly  periodical  was  established  by  this 
society,  entitled  the  "Friend  of  Peace,"  of  which  Dr.  Worcester 
was  the  editor  and  principal  contributor  till  the  year  1828,  when  he 
resigned  on  reaching  his  7oth  year. 

His  mind  was  afterwards  directed,  with  much  earnestness,  to  the 
examination  of  the  question  of  the  connection  of  "the  Sufferings 
of  Christ  with  the  salvation  of  men,"  and  in  1829  he  published  a 


316  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

small  volume  entitled  the  "  Atoning  Sacrifice — a  Display  of  Love, 
not  of  Wrath."  In  1831  he  also  published  a  small  work  entitled 
"  Causes  and  Evils  of  Contention  among  Christians,"  and  in  1833. 
his  last  work  with  the  title  "  Last  Thoughts  on  Important  Subjects." 
Beside  the  above  works  he  also  published  the  following:  Sermon, 
at  the  "Ordination  of  Rev.  Thomas  Worcester,"  and  "Friendly 
Letter  to  Rev.  Thomas  Baldwin,"  1791.  "Candid  Discussion  of 
Close  Communion,"  1794;  "  New  Hampshire  Election  Sermon," 
1800;  "Reasons  for  declining  to  adopt  the  Baptist  Theory  and 
Practice,"  1809;  "  Appeal  to  the  Candid  or  Trinitarian  Review;" 
1814;  "Thoughts  on  the  Personality  of  the  Word  of  God;"  and 
"  Review  of  Atheism,"  1816.  Received  the  honorary  degree  of 
A.  M.,  from  Dartmouth  college,  in  I791?  and  that  of  D.  D.  from 
Harvard  in  1818.  Died  at  Brighton,  October  31,  1837,  *n  his  79th 
year.  His  monument  at  Mt.  Auburn  bears  the  following  inscription  : 

"  To  NOAH  WORCESTER,  D.  D., 

Erected  by  his  Friends 
In  commemoration  of  his  Zeal  and  Labors 

In  the  cause  of  Universal  Peace, 

And  the  consistency  of  his  character 

As  a  Christian  Philanthropist  and  Divine.'' 

REV.  LEONARD  WORCESTER, 

son  of  Noah  and  Lydia  (Taylor)  Worcester,  born  January  i.  1767. 
Mr.  Worcester  went  to  Worcester,  Mass.,  in  his  youth,  and  served 
an  apprenticeship  to  the  printers'  trade  in  the  office  of  Isaiah 
Thomas,  Esq.,  a  distinguished  printer  and  publisher  of  that  time. 
After  reaching  the  age  of  majority,  he  was,  for  several  years,  edi- 
tor, printer,  and  publisher  of  the  newspaper  called  the  "  Massachu- 
setts Spy."  In  1795,  at  the  age  of  twenty-eight,  he  was  chosen  . 
deacon  of  the  first  church  in  Worcester,  of  which  Rev.  Dr.  Austin 
was  pastor,  and  without  any  regular  or  systematic  course  of  theo- 
logical studies  he  was  licensed  to  preach  by  the  Mendon  Associa- 
tion. March  12,  1799,  and  was  ordained  as  pastor  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church  and  society  in  Peacham,  Vt.,  October  30,  1799.  He 
discharged  the  duties  of  his  pastorate  with  much  acceptance  for 
thirty-eight  years,  till  1837,  wnen  he  left  Peacham  on  account  of 
impaired  health.  He  afterwards  resided  in  Littleton,  N.  H.,  and 
St.  Johnsbury,  Vt.,  until  his  decease  at  the  place  last  named,  May 
28,  1846,  aet.  79. 

Publications  of  Mr.  Worcester,   "  Letters  to  Rev.  Dr.  Bancroft, 
on  the  doctrine   of  Election,"   1794;    Oration  on  the    "Death   of 


MINISTERS    NOT    GRADUATES.  317 

Washington,"  1800;  "Fast  Day  Sermon,"  1802;  also  Sermons  on 
the  following  subjects — "  The  Highway  and  Way";  "On  the 
Atonement;"  "On  Prayer;"  "On  the  Determination  of  God;" 
"  On  the  Trinity  ;"  "  Men  their  worst  Enemies  ;"  "  The  Chris- 
tian desirous  to  be  with  Christ ;"  "A  Defence  of  the  Confession  of 
Faith  of  the  church  at  Peacham  ;"  at  the  "Ordination"  of  Rev. 
Elnathan  Gridley  and  Rev.  Samuel  A.  Worcester  as  Missionaries, 
1825  ;  "  On  the  Alton  Outrage,"  1837  '•>  "  At  the  close  of  his  Min- 
istry," 1839.  Besides  the  above  publications,  Mr.  Worcester  was 
a  frequent  contributor  to  several  of  the  religious  periodicals  of  the 
time.  He  received  the  honorary  degree  of  A.  M.,  from  Middle- 
bury  college  in  1804,  and  from  Dartmouth  college  in  1827.* 

REV.  THOMAS  WORCESTER, 

son  of  Noah  and  Lydia  (Taylor)  Worcester,  born  November  22, 
1768.  Mr.  Worcester  studied  for  the  ministry  with  Rev.  Daniel 
Emerson  at  Holl'.s  and  was  ordained  as  pastor  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church  and  society  in  Salisbury,  N.  H.,  November  9,  1791. 
Objections  were  made  at  the  time,  (by  some  of  the  ordaining  coun- 
cil) to  the  ordination  of  the  candidate,  mainly,  for  the  reason  that 
he  had  not  had  the  advantage  of  a  "  college  education.."  After 
considerable  delay  in  consequence  of  this  opposition,  Judge  Eben- 
ezer  Webster,  the  father  of  Hon.  Daniel  Webster,  and  a  member 
of  the  society,  rose  and  addressed  the  council  in  an  earnest  and 
eloquent  speech  in  which  he  said,  "  Mr.  Moderator,  tve  have 
chosen  this  yotcng  man  for  our  minister,  and  ~uoe  are  satisfied 
with  htm;  we  have  invited  this  council  to  ordain  him,  Sir,  but  if 
you  do  not  see  Jit  to  do  it,  (he  added  with  determined  emphasis) 
ive  shall  call  another  council  that  -will."  After  this  address  the 
candidate  was  ordained  without  the  call  of  a  second  council. 

In  the  year  1807,  Hon.  Daniel  Webster,  then  a  parishioner  of 
Mr.  Worcester,  united  with  his  church.  At  the  time  of  so  doing, 
Mr.  Webster  wrote  out  his  own  creed,  or  confession  of  faith,  which 
he  left  with  his  pastor.  The  original  document  in  the  hand  writ- 
ing of  its  author,  after  the  decease  of  Mr.  Worcester,  was  found 
among  his  papers,  by  his  executor,  Judge  George  W.  Nesmith,  and 
by  him  deposited  in  the  library  of  the  New  Hampshire  Historical 
Society  at  Concord,  where  it  is  still  supposed  to  be. 

*Sprague's  American  Pulpit,  Vol.  a,  pp.  455,  456. 


318  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

Some  years  after  his  settlement  Mr.  Worcester  embraced  the 
theological  doctrines  of  his  brother,  Dr.  Noah  Worcester,  as  pre- 
sented in  his  work,  called  "  Bible  News."  On  this  account  and 
also  by  reason  of  his  failing  health,  he  was  dismissed  by  a  mutual 
council,  April  24,  1823.  He  afterwards  remained  in  Salisbury 
without  charge  till  his  death,  December  24,  1831.  act.  63.  He 
received  the  honorary  degree  of  A.  M.  from  Dartmouth  college 
in  1806.  In  Dr.  Sprague's  biographical  sketch  it  is  said  of  Mr. 
Worcester  that  he  was  highly  gifted  "with  the  powers  of  natural 
eloquence." 

Publications:  "  Oration,"  July 4,  1798,  and  "Thanksgiving  Ser- 
mon "  same  year,  afterwards  Sermons  as  follows,  at  the  "  ordina- 
tion" of  Rev.  Moses  Sawyer,  1802  ;  "  Little  Children  in  Heaven,'' 
1803  ;  "On  the  Education  of  Children,"  1804  ;  "  On  the  Glory  of 
Christ;"  "On  the  Testimony  by  which  the  Son  of  God  honored 
the  Father,"  and  "  on  the  Sonship  of  Christ,"  1810;  "Concise 
view  of  the  Glory  of  Christ,"  1811  ;  at  the  "  Funeral"  of  Joseph 
Wardwell,  1814;  "Letter"  to  Rev.  Dr.  Spring,  1811  ;  "Eccle- 
siastical Usurpation  Exposed,"  1815  ;  "  Candid  Letters  to  a  Trini- 
tarian," 1817;  "  Friendly  Letter  to  a  Trinitarian  Brother."  1819.* 

REV.    DAVID    BROWN, 

son  of  David  and  Rebecca  Brown,  born  April  4,  1773.  Studied 
for  the  ministry  in  Hollis,  and  was  self-taught.  Preached  for  a 
time  in  Hollis  and  vicinity  as  an  Evangelist,  and  was  afterwards 
settled  as  a  Baptist  minister  in  western  New  York. 

REV.  SAMUEL  AMBROSE. 

The  name  of  Mr.  Ambrose  is  not  found  in  the  Hollis  records  of 
births.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Hollis  Young  Men's  Religious 
Association  before  the  Revolution,  and  of  the  Hollis  militia  com- 
pany in  January,  1775,  and  also  a  soldier  from  Hollis  in  the  army 
at  Cambridge  in  the  fall  of  that  year.  Married  Mary  Goodhue, 
daughter  of  Dea.  Samuel  Goodhue,  of  Hollis,  February  20,  1776. 
Removed  to  Plymouth,  N.  H.,  studied  for  the  ministry,  and  was 
settled  as  pastor  of  the  Baptist  church  in  Sutton,  N.  H.,  April, 
1782,  and  dismissed  at  Sutton  in  March,  1795,  was  afterwards 
employed  as  a  missionary,  and  in  preaching  to  vacant  churches. 
Died  at  Sutton,  May  30,1830,  aet.  77. 

*Spragrue's  American  Pulpit,  Vol.   S,  pp.  193,  194. 


MINISTERS    NOT    GRADUATES.  319 

REV.  JOSEPH  WHEAT, 

son  of  Thomas  and  Mary  (Ball)  Wheat,  born  July  18,  1759.  He 
was  a  soldier  from  Hollis  in  the  Continental  army,  and  a  brother  of 
Thomas  Wheat,  Jun.,  who  was  killed  at  Bunker  Hill.  After  the 
war  he  studied  for  the  ministry,  and  was  settled  as  pastor  of  the 
Baptist  church  in  Grafton,  N.  H.,  in  August,  1801.  Dismissed  in 
^815.  Died  at  Canaan,  N.  H.,  October  28.  1837,  «*•  78- 

REV.  DAVID  SMITH, 

son  of  Emerson  and  Mary  (Page)  Smith,  born  September  28,  1769. 
Mr.  Smith  learned  the  trade  of  a  carpenter  and  joiner,  and  for  sev- 
eral years  carried  on  that  business  in  Hollis,  and  aided  in  building 
the  third  Hollis  meeting-house  in  1804.  He  afterwards  studied  for 
the  ministry  with  Rev.  Eli  Smith  in  Hollis,  and  was  first  ordained 
as  pastor  of  the  Congregational  church  at  Temple,  Maine,  February 
21,  1810.  Dismissed  January  27,  1819.  Afterwards  installed  as 
pastor  of  the  Congregational  church  at  Meredith,  N.  H.,  March 
.23,  1819.  Died  at  Meredith.  August  18,  1824,  aet.  54. 

REV.  JACOB  HARDY, 

son  of  Isaac  and  Mehitable  (Boynton)  Hardy,  born  November  14, 
1795,  studied  for  the  ministry  at  the  Theological  seminary  at  Bangor, 
Me.,  and  graduated  at  Bangor  in  1824.  Ordained  as  pastor  of  the 
Congregational  church  at  Strong,  Me..  July  12,  1826.  Died  at 
Strong,  March  i.  1833,  aet.  37. 

REV.  HENRY  H.  SAUNDERSON. 

son  of  Jonathan  and  Lucy  (Pool)  Saunderson,  born  September 
i,  1810.  Entered  Yale  college  in  1828,  and  left  in  1831,  without 
graduating.  Studied  for  the  ministry  at  the  Theological  seminary 
at  Andover,  aYid  graduated  at  Andover  in  1842.  Supplied  the  Con- 
gregational church  at  Ypsilanti,  Mich.,  from  October,  1845,  to 
October,  1846.  Ordained  as  pastor  of  the  Congregational  church  at 
Ludlovv,  Vt.,  April  20,  1848.  Dismissed  April,  1853.  Was  pas- 
tor of  the  Congregational  church  at  Wallingford,  Vt.,  from  May  i, 
1853,  to  May  i,  1862;  at  Ludlow,  Vt.,  from  1862  to  1864;  at 
Charlestown,  N.  H.,  from  1864  to  1873.  Now  resides  in  Swanzey, 
N.  H.  Publications  of  Mr.  Saunderson,  "Centennial  address,"  at 
Wallingford,  Vt.,  1873  ;  •'  History  of  Wallingford,"  also  an  excel- 
lent •'  History  of  Charlestown."  N.  H..  1877. 


32O        .  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

REV.  EDWARD  JOHNSON,  JUN.,  » 

son  of  Edward  and  Sarah  (Bruce)  Johnson,  born  October  13,  1813. 
Received  an  academical  education  at  Andover,  Mass.  In  1836  he- 
went  as  a  missionary  school  teacher  to  the  Sandwich  Islands,  in  the 
employ  of  the  A.  B.  C.  F.  M.  While  engaged  as  a  teacher  there 
he  studied  for  the  ministry,  and  was  ordained  as  pastor  of  a  native 
church  at  Waoli,  in  the  island  of  Kauai,  of  which  he  was  for 
many  years  the  minister.  Died  in  1868,  set.  55. 

PHYSICIANS    NOT    GRADUATES    OF    COLLEGE. 
ABIJAH  WRIGHT, 

son  of  Capt.  Joshua  and  Abigail  Wright,  born  August  15.  1746. 
Removed  from  Hollis  to  Hebron.  N.  H.,  before  the  war  of  the 
Revolution,  and  settled  there  as  a  physician.  Died  at  Hebron  in 
1828,  aet.  82. 

PETER  EMERSON, 

son  of  Rev.  Daniel  Emerson.      (See  p.  210,  ante.} 

WILLIAM   HALE, 

son  of  Dr.  John  Hale.      (See  p.  211.  ante.} 

JOSEPH  F.  EASTMAN, 

son  of  Jonathan  and  Sarah  (Fletcher)  Eastman,  born  January  14. 
1772.  Studied  medicine  in  New  Boston  with  Dr.  Wm.  Gove,  and 
after  practising  his  profession  for  some  years  in  New  Boston,  he 
relinquished  it,  returned  to  Hollis,  and  settled  upon  his  farm  near 
the  middle  of  the  town,  where  he  continued  to  reside  till  his  de- 
cease, Sept.  20,  1865,  aet.  93.  Dr.  Eastman  was  a  man  of  much 
general  intelligence,  enterprise  and  public  spirit.  He  was  the 
Moderator  of  the  annual  town  meetings  in  Hollis,  in  fifteen  differ- 
ent years,  between  1812  and  1835,  and  was  a  Coroner  for  the 
county  from  1802  to  1849. 

JOSEPH    BOYNTON, 

son  of  Abraham  and, Mary  (Hartshorn)  Boynton,  born  March  26. 
1789,  studied  medicine  in  Hollis,  and  afterwards  removed  to  and 
settled  in  the  State  of  New  York. 

LUKE  LAWRENCE. 

son  of  Daniel  and  Polly  (Johnson)  Lawrence,  born  April  14.  1803. 
Settled  in  his  profession  in  Lunenburg,  Mass.  Died  in  Hollis. 
January  19,  1832,  aet.  28. 


PHYSICIANS    NOT    GRADUATES.  -521 

CALVIN  WHEELER, 

son  of  Zebulon  and  Mary  (Kendrick)  Wheeler,  born  June  7,  180^. 
Settled  in  his  profession  in  Bristol,  111. 

JOHN  R.  SMITH, 

son  of  Rev.  Eli  and  Ama  (Emerson)  Smith,  born  February  12, 
1807,  studied  medicine  in  Paris,  Ky.,  settled  first  in  his  profession 
at  Paris,  and  afterwards  in  Lexington,  Ky.  He  now  (1879)  re- 
sides in  the  town  of  Vermont,  Missouri. 

HENRY  W.  WILLOUGHBY, 

son  of  Washington  and  Lucy  (Saunderson)  Willoughby,  born  De- 
cember 21,  1816.  Dr.  Willoughby  entered  Amherst  college  in  1837,. 
and  left  college  in  his  junior  year,  without  graduating.  He  after- 
wards studied  medicine  at  the  medical  college  in  Philadelphia,  and 
settled  in  his  profession  in  Hollis,  in  1855,  where  he  still  resides,  in. 
the  practice  of  it  (1879). 

JOHN  G.  WOOD, 

son  of  Moses  and  Submit  (Hardy)  Wood,  born  December  27,  1830,. 
studied  his  profession  in  Philadelphia,  and  settled  as  a  physician  in 
Salem,  Mass.,  where  he  died. 

JACOB    MOOAR, 

son  of  John  and  Rebecca  (Abbot)  Mooar,  born  March  7,  183 ir 
studied  his  profession  at  Hanover  and  Manchester,  N.  II.,  and 
settled  as  a  physician  in  Manchester. 

JOSIAH  M.  BLOOD, 

son  of  Ebenezer  and  Elizabeth  (Abbot)  Blood,  born  July  3,  1832,. 
studied  his  profession  in  Hollis,  and  also  at  the  University  in  New 
York,  settled  as  a  physician  in  Temple,  N.  H.,  and  afterwards  in, 
Ashby,  Mass. 

SAMUEL  W.  FLETCHER, 

son  of  Samuel  and  Elizabeth  (Corey)  Fletcher,  born  September  iS', 
1831,  studied  his  profession  in  Cambridge,  Mass.,  New  York  city, 
and  also  in  Paris,  France.  Settled  in  his  profession  in  Pepperell. 

Mass.,  where  he  now  resides. 

(21) 


322  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

WILLIAM  H.  CUTTER, 

son  of  John  H.  and  Susan  (Pool)  Cutter,  born  July  17,  1847, 
studied  his  profession  at  the  medical  school  in  Hanover.  N.  H., 
.and  settled  as  a  physician  in  Hollis. 

LAWYERS    BORN    IN    HOLLIS    NOT    GRADUATES    OF    COLLEGE. 
ABEL  COXANT, 

son  of  Dea.  Abel  and  Margaret  <Jewett)  Conant,  born  June  i,  1784. 
Read  law  with  Col.  W.  Hastings,  in  Townsend,  Mass.  Admitted 
to  the  bar  at  Concord,  Mass.,  in  1813.  He  practised  his  profession 
in  Townsend  and  New  Ipswich,  N.  H.,  and  in  1834  removed  to 
Lowell,  Mass..  and  his  health  having  partially  failed  he  relinquished 
his  profession,  and  afterwards  turned  his  attention  to  the  study  of 
Chemistry  and  Mechanics,  and  became  a  useful  and  successful 
inventor.  At  an  early  day  he  is  said  to  have  invented  the  seraphine 
or  parlor  organ,  and  not  long  after  the  hollow  auger,  so  much  used 
by  wheelwrights.  While  he  lived  at  Lowell,  he  invented  and 
patented  the  mortise  door  lock,  now  in  common  use,  and  the  man- 
ufacture of  which  gives  employment  to  so  many  persons.  He  after- 
wards discovered  and  patented  the  process  of  raising  bread  with 
cream  of  tartar  or  other  acids,  also  now  in  common  use,  but  the  dif- 
ficulty of  preventing  infringements  upon  patent  rights  deprived  Mr. 
Conant,  to  a  great  extent,  of  personal  advantage  from  [his  inven- 
tions. He  is  said  to  have  made  many  other  improvements  of  the 
like  character,  and,  to  the  day  of  his  death,  was  engaged  in  per- 
fecting several  new  inventions  which  he  expected  [soon  to  make 
public.  His  habits  were  simple,  retiring  and  exemplary,  and  his 
mind  and  memory  remarkably  clear  till  his  last  hours.  Died  at 
Lowell,  April  12,  1875,  set.  90. 

DANIEL  MOOAR, 

son  of  Jacob  and  Dorcas  (Hood)  Mooar,  born  May  n,  1815.  He 
received  an  academical  education  at  Milford,  N.  H.,  and  Chester, 
Vt.  Afterwards  he  went  to  Covington,  Ky.,  and  read  law  at  that 
place  and  at  the  law  school  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  1843.  "He  settled  and  practised  his  profession  in 
Covington  for  twenty-five  years,  and  established  a  reputation  as  a 
profound  lawyer,  a  safe  counsellor — for  business  integrity, — and  a 
high  sense  of  honor,  and  several  times  filled  the  office  of  District 


LAWYER    NOT    GRADUATE.  323 

Judge."  His  health  having  become  partially  impaired  by  too  close 
application  to  business,  and,  having  acquired  an  ample  fortune,  he 
afterwards  removed  to  Keokuk,  Iowa,  where  he  still  resides,  and  is 
there  engaged  in  extensive  business. 

In  a  biographical  sketch  of  Judge  Mooar,  published  in  the  His- 
torical Atlas  of  Lee  county,  Iowa,  in  December,  1873,  **  *s  sa^  °f 
him  "  that  he  is  now  among  the  substantial  and  solid  men  of 
Keokuk,  and  a  man  of  decided  ability  and  varied  information.  *  * 
Such  men  are  real  ornaments  to  any  community  and  Keokuk  has 
been  fortunate  in  adding  such  an  one  to  her  citizens." 


324  BIOGRAPHICAL    .SKETCHES. 


CHAPTER    XXX. 

PHYSICIANS   WHO    HAVE    PRACTISED    THEIR    PROFESSION  IN    HOLLIS. 
AND    MISCELLANEOUS    BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

DR.  JOHN   HALE. 

(See  p.  211,  ante.} 

DR.   JONATHAN   FOX 

was  from  Dracut,  Mass.  Married  Zerviah  Jones.  Settled  in  Hollis 
as  a  physician  in  177^5  a*  ^ie  aSe  °f  24>  and  was  regarded  as  a 
young  man  of  much  promise,  and  soon  gained  the  esteem  and  con- 
fidence of  the  people.  In  the  years  1779  and  1780,  he  was  several 
times  appointed  a  member  of  the  Hollis  committee  for  raising  men 
for  the  army,  in  which  service  he  was  very  efficient  and  successful. 
He  died  in  Hollis,  much  lamented,  October  26,  1782,  at  the  early 
age  of  28,  his  death  being  regarded  as  a  public  loss.  His  only 
daughter  Zerviah,  born  February  16,  1779,  became  the  wife  of  Rev. 
Samuel  Worcester,  D.  D.  His  youngest  son,  Ebenezer,  a  rnan  of 
great  industry  and  business  ability,  after  being  for  many  years  set- 
tled in  his  business  in  Salem,  Mass.,  afterwards  I'emoved  to  Hollis. 
and  became  the  owner  of  the  farm  now  known  as  the  "  Fox  place," 
where  he  died  December  6,  1857,  x^-  74- 

DR.  JONATHAN    POOL. 

(See  p.  214,  ante.} 

DR.  WILLIAM  HALE. 

t  (Seep.  211,  ante.} 

DR.  BENONI  CUTTER 

was  a  son  of  John  and  Susannah  (Hastings)  Cutter,  born  in  New 
Ipswich,  N.  H.,  in  1771.  He  settled  as  a  physician  in  Hollis  in 
1799,  and  married  Phebe  Tenney,  oldest  daughter  of  Capt.  William 


HOLLIS    PHYSICIANS.  325 

Tenney  of  Hollis,  May  20,  1800.  He  was  greatly  respected,  both 
as  a  citizen  and  as  a  physician,  and  in  the  year  1814  was  appointed 
to  the  office  of  deacon  of  the  Hollis  church.  Died  in  Hollis, 
January  17,  1816,  get.  44. 

DR.   PETER  MANNING 

was  born  in  Townsend,  Mass.  He  settled  in  Hollis  as  a  physician 
in  1814  or  1815,  and  in  1817  he  was  a  member  of  the  School  Com- 
mittee. He  removed  from  Hollis  to  Merrimack  in  1818,  and  con- 
tinued in  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Merrimack  till  1838,  and 
afterwards  removed  to  Lunenburg,  Mass.,  where  he  died. 

DR.   OLIVER   SCRIPTURE, 

son  of  Oliver  and  Jane  Scripture,  born  in  Mason,  N.  H.,  June  16, 
1783.  Married  Eliza,  the  youngest  daughter  of  Hon.  Timothy 
Farrar  of  New  Ipswich.  Dr.  Scripture  settled  in  his  profession  in 
Hollis  in  the  year  1818,  as  successor  to  Dr.  Manning,  and  continued 
his  practice  as  a  physician  in  Hollis  till  his  death,  November  7, 
1860,  aet.  77.  The  inscription  upon  his  tombstone,  in  the  Hollis 
central  burial  ground,  "  The  beloved  Physician,"  is  expressive  of 
the  affectionate  esteem  in  which  he  was  held  by  the  people  of  the 
town.  His  father-in-law,  Judge  Farrar,  passed  the  last  years  of  his 
life  in  the  family  of  Dr.  Scripture,  and  died  in  Hollis,  February  21, 

1849,  aet.  IO1  years>  7  months,  12  days. 

DR.   ORVILLE   M.  COOPER 

was  a  native  of  Croydon,  N.  H.,  and  graduated  at  the  medical 
school  at  Hanover,  in  1845.  Dr.  Cooper  settled  in  his  profession 
in  Hollis,  in  1846,  and  died  in  Hollis,  February,  1847. 

DR.  JOHN  L.  COLBY, 

settled  in  Hollis  as  a  physician  in  1847,  soon  after  the  decease  of 
Dr.  Cooper,  and  in  1848  he  was  a  member  of  the  School  Com- 
mittee in  Hollis.  In  1850  he  removed  from  Hollis  to  Manchester, 
Mass.,  and  about  two  years  afterwards  to  Harlem,  N.  Y.,  where  he 
is  still  supposed  to  reside. 

DR.   LOCKHART  B.   FARRAR 

was  born  in  Walpole,  N.  H.,  and  was  a  graduate  of  the  medical 
school  in  Castleton,  Vt.  Settled  in  his  profession  in  Hollis,  in 

1850,  upon  the  removal  of  Dr.   Colby.     In   1852  he  also  removed 
from  Hollis  to  Manchester,  Mass.,  and  afterwards  to  the  State  of 
Illinois. 


326  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

DR.   WILLIAM  A.   TRACY, 

son  of  Elisha  L.  Tracy,  was  born  in  Tunbridge,  Vt.,  May  3,  1826. 
Attended  medical  lectures  at  Boston,  Woodstock,  Vt.,  and  Hano- 
ver, N.  H.  Settled  in  his  profession  in  Hollis,  succeeding  Dr. 
Farrar  in  September,  1852.  Removed  from  Hollis  to  Nashua,  in 
August,  1854.  Appointed  Surgeon  of  the  6th  New  Hampshire  In- 
fantry, October  25,  1861.  Resigned  on  account  of  ill  health, 
March  15,  1863,  and  returned  to  Nashua.  Died  at  Nashua,  March 
15,  1864,  aet.  37. 

DR.   HENRY   BOYNTON, 

son  of  Isaac  Boynton,  born  in  Pepperell,  Mass.  Studied  medicine 
at  the  medical  school  in  Woodstock,  Vt.  Settled  in  his  profession 
in  Hollis  in  September,  1854,  as  successor  to  Dr.  Tracy.  Prac- 
tised his  profession  in  Hollis  till  1858,  when  he  removed  to  Wood- 
stock, Vt.,  and  was  succeeded  by  Dr.  George  P.  Greeley.  Ap- 
pointed Assistant  Surgeon  of  the  yth  New  Hampshire  Infantry, 
October  15,  1861.  Resigned  January  24,  1864,  and  returned  again 
to  Woodstock. 

DR.  HENRY  W.  WILLOUGHBY. 

(See  page  321,  ante.) 

DR.   GEORGE   P.   GREELEY, 

son  of  Ezekiel  Greeley,  was  born  in  Nashua,  N.  H.  Attended 
medical  lectures  at  Woodstock,  Vt.,  Hanover,  N.  H.,  and  at  the 
College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  in  New  York  city,  where  he 
graduated  in  1857.  Settled  as  a  physician  in  Hollis  in  1858. 
Appointed  Assistant  Surgeon  of  the  Second  New  Hampshire  regi- 
ment, May,  1 86 1  ;  Surgeon  of  the  Fourth  New  Hampshire  regi- 
ment, October  8,  1862  ;  honorably  discharged,  October  23,  1864, 
After  leaving  the  army,  he  settled  in  his  profession,  first  in  Boston, 
and  afterwards,  in  1872,  removed  to  Nashua,  where  he  still  practises 
his  profession  (1879). 

DR.  ELLERY  CHANNING  CLARKE. 

was  a  son  of  Rev.  Stillman  Clarke,  and  was  born  in  Winchester, 
N.  H.,  March  21,  1836;  entered  Harvard  college  in  1855,  and  left 
in  1857.  Studied  medicine  with  Professor  Albert  Smith  of  Peter- 
borough, N.  H.,  and  graduated  at  the  medical  college  at  Bur- 
lington, Vt.,  in  1860.  Settled  in  Hollis  in  the  spring  of  1861, 


NATHAN    THAYER.  327 

succeeding  Dr.  Greeley.  Appointed  Assistant  Surgeon  of  the 
Eighth  New  Hampshire  United  States  Infantry,  January  18,  1862  ; 
promoted  to  Surgeon,  June  5,  1863 ;  discharged  for  disability, 
August,  1864  ;  afterwards  settled  in  Westfield,  Mass. 

DR.   SYLVANUS   BUNTON 

was  born  in  Allenstown,  N.  H.  Graduated  at  Dartmouth  college 
in  1840.  Studied  medicine  in  Baltimore.  Settled  in  his  profes- 
sion in  Manchester,  N.  H.,  where  he  continued  till  June,  1864, 
and  was  then  appointed  Assistant  Surgeon  of  the  7th  New  Hamp- 
shire U.  S.  regiment,  and  in  August,  1864,  was  promoted  to  Sur- 
geon. Mustered  out  July  20,  1865,  and  after  leaving  the  army, 
settled  in  his  profession  in  Hollis,  where  he  remained  about  three 
years,  and  then  removed  to  Mont  Vernon,  N.  H. 

DR.   ADONIJAH   W.  HOWE, 

son  of  Dr.  Luke  Howe,  was  born  in  Jaffrey,  N.  H.,  September, 
25,  1825.  Graduated  at  the  medical  college  in  Hanover  in  1850. 
Settled  as  a  physician  in  Dunstable,  Mass.,  in  1851.  Came  to 
Hollis  in  March,  1861.  Removed  from  Hollis  in  1865,  and  now 
in  1879,  resides  in  Greenville,  N.  H. 

DR.  CHARLES   G.   COREY 

was  born  in  Jaffrey,  N.  H.  Graduated  at  the  medical  college  in 
Hanover,  N.  H.,  in  1857.  Settled  in  his  profession  in  Hollis  in 
1867,  where  he  remained  from  three  to  four  years,  and  then 
removed  to  Greenville,  N.  H.,  and  died  at  Greenville,  October  19, 
1878,  set.  54. 

NATHAN  THAYER, 
(Contributed  by  Miss  G.  A.  BOUTWELL,  a  granddaughter.) 

son  of  Elijah  and  Sarah  (Robinson)  Thayer,  was  born  in  Milford, 
Mass.,  July  6,  1781.  He  was  a  descendant  of  Thomas  Thayer,  who 
came  to  this  country  from  England  about  1630,  and  settled  in  Brain- 
tree,  which  town  is  supposed  to  have  been  named  by  the  Thajer 
family  in  honor  of  their  English  birth-place.  A  son  of  Thomas 
Thayer  settled  in  that  part  of  Mendon,  Mass.,  which  is  now  known 
as  Milford,  about  1665,  and  for  successive  generations,  and  for  a 
period  of  over  one  hundred  and  fifty  years,  the  ancestors  of  Mr. 
Thayer  were  citizens  of  that  ancient  town.  At  the  early  age  of 


328  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

seventeen,  Mr.  Thayer  came  to  Hollis  "  to  seek  his  fortune."  He 
had  for  his  capital,  a  common  school  education,  and  a  good  knowl- 
edge of  the  trade  of  house  painting.  His  name  appears  first  on  the 
Hollis  tax  lists  in  1803.  Mr.  Thayer  was  so  good  a  workman 
that  he  was  called  frequently  to  Pepperell,  Groton,  and  even  as  far 
away  as  Andover  to  pursue  his  trade.  He  took  especial  pleasure 
in  the  society  of  those  places,  and  on  his  return  would  tell  his  chil- 
dren pleasant  anecdotes  of  the  Prescotts,  Lawrences,  and  the 
learned  professors  of  Andover.  He  was  a  welcome  guest  in  many 
homes  in  those  towns,  and  one  of  his  daughters,  who  went  to  school 
in  Andover,  recalls  with  pleasure  the  consideration  which  she  re- 
ceived on  her  father's  account. 

For  thirty  years,  Mr.  Thayer  employed  his  leisure  of  the  winter 
months  in  teaching  school.  In  the  early  part  of  this  century, 
schools  of  the  higher  grades  were  almost  unknown,  and  all  those 
inclined  to  study  were  dependent  upon  the  district  schools,  and 
many  young  men,  as  well  as  the  children,  availed  themselves  of  his 
instruction.  He  was  an  especially  good  grammarian,  and  by  com- 
mon consent  all  knotty  questions  in  grammar  were  referred  to  him 
by  the  other  teachers. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  Hollis  examining  School  Committee  in 
1817,  1818,  1821,  1822,  1825,  and  1827;  and  of  the  Superintending 
School  Committee,  in  1828,  1829,  and  1830.  He  was  also  a  Justice 
of  the  Peace  from  1822  to  1830,  and  a  Representative  to  the  New 
Hampshire  General  Court  in  1812,  1819,  1820,  and  1821.  April  2, 
1807,  he  married  Hannah  Jewett,  daughter  of  Dea.  Stephen  Jewett, 
Jun.  She  died  March  17,  1824.  She  was  the  mother  of  six  daugh- 
ters and  one  son,  all  but  one  (the  fourth  daughter)  survived  her. 
Mr.  Thayer  married  March  27,  1825,  Mary  Jewett,  a  sister  of  his 
first  wife.  She  was  the  mother  of  two  children,  both  of  whom  died 
in  infancy.  She  died  October  1 6,  1833.  Mr.  Thayer  died  October 
21,  1830,  aet.  49. 

JAMES  BLOOD, 

son  of  Solomon  and  Priscilla  (French)  Blood,  was  born  in  Hollis, 
May  20,  1793,  and  died  in  Newburyport,  Mass.,  June  27,  1876,  aet. 
83  years.  For  the  following  obituary  tribute  to  the  memory  of  Mr. 
Blood,  I  am  indebted  to  the  Merrimack  Family  Visitor,  published 
at  Newburyport,  of  the  date  of  July  i,  1876.  "Mr.  Blood  came 
to  this  city  in  the  year  1825,  poor,  respectable,  industrious  and 


JAMES    PARKER,    JUN.  329 

intelligent.  His  life  was  a  success,  and  in  all  controllable  events  just 
what  he  would  have  it.  We  doubt  if  he  would  materially  change 
it  if  he  had  to  live  it  over  again.  He  enjoyed  the  most  perfect 
health  till  old  age.  He  was  one  of  the  most  industrious  persons 
that  ever  lived,  and  his  happiness  was  in  his  business.  He  loved 
to  work  for  the  sake  of  it,  and  would  have  continued  to  do  so, 
though  no  gains  should  have  come  from  it.  But  his  business  yielded 
its  profits  till  his  estate  grew  to  exceed  all  his  early  expectations.  His 
fellow  citizens  did  not  fail  to  appreciate  his  virtues,  his  integrity, 
his  independent  thought  and  straightforward  action ;  and  they  hon- 
ored him  with  a  seat  in  the  legislature,  and  many  local  offices, 
while,  without  his  own  solicitation,  he  was  made  Collector  of  Cus- 
toms under  two  national  administrations. 

"Mr.  Blood  enjoyed  life — in  his  nature  he  was  happy.  Under  the 
gravity  of  his  demeanor  there  was  a  quiet  humor,  and  in  the  busiest 
moments  of  his  most  busy  days,  he  was  lively  and  witty — to  old  age 
ever  seeing  the  bright  side  of  events  and  the  sunny  spots  of  life. 

"  He  was  a  man  of  firm  convictions  and  religious  faith  which 
never  deserted  him.  Life  and  death  to  him  were  equally  natural 
and  desirable,  and  he  had  no  wish  to  stay  here  when  his  mission  on 
earth  was  accomplished,  nor  any  fear  that  he  should  not  awake 
from  his  last  sleep  to  renewed  activities  and  joys.  Death  was  not 
therefore  shaded  with  fears,  nor  the  grave  with  gloom.  He  went 
not  like  a  cringing  slave  to  punishment,  but  lay  down  quietly  and 
hopefully  as  to  pleasant  dreams  His  funeral  was  from  his  residence 
on  Friday  morning,  appropriate  in  time,  for  he  was  one  of  those  to 
say,  '  bury  me  in  the  morning,  when  the  sun  will  be  upon  my 
grave.' " 

JAMES   PARKER,  JUN., 

son  of  James  and  Betsey  (Wright)  Parker,  was  born  in  Hollis, 
April  i,  1815,  and  died  in  Springfield,  Mass.,  Jan,  2,  1874,  set.  58. 
The  following  appreciative  biographical  sketch  of  Mr.  Parker  is  in 
substance  to  be  found  in  the  October  number  of  the  New  England 
Historical  and  Genealogical  Register  for  1874,  p.  475. 

"  Mr.  Parker  was  a  native  of  Hollis.  In  1833  he  '  mounted  the 
stage  box*  as  a  stage  driver.  In  1836  he  became  agent  for  Burt  and 
Billings'  stage  line,  between  Worcester  and  Springfield,  and  con- 
tinued in  that  capacity  till  the  Western  railroad  was  opened,  when 
like  Ginery  Twitchell  and  others  who  had  shown  eminent  ability  in 
managing  the  '  whip  and  ribbons,'  he  was  taken  into  the  new  service 


330  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

of  transporting  passengers  and  freight.  Mr.  Parker  had  charge 
of  the  first  train  of  cars  from  Boston  to  Springfield,  and  his  atten- 
tion to  passengers  and  gentlemanly  bearing  soon  proved  that  he  was 
'  the  right  man  in  the  right  place.'  His  pleasant  countenance  and 
never-failing  urbanity  will  long  be  remembered  by  the  thousands 
who  had  occasion  to  pass  over  that  road  during  many  of  the  earlier 
years  of  its  existence. 

"The  first  train  from  Boston  to  Springfield  made  the  trip  in 
exactly  six  hours,  and  Mr.  Parker  received  many  compliments,  not 
only  for  what  was  regarded  as  remarkable  speed,  but  also  for  his 
accurate  observance  of  that  '  old  time  table.'  The  train  bearing 
among  others,  the  directors  of  the  road,  left  Boston  at  seven  o'clock, 
A.  M.,  and  arrived  at  Springfield  at  i  o'clock,  P.  M.,  September 
27,  1839.  The  opening  of  the  road  was  an  event  of  such  general 
rejoicing  that  it  was  publicly  celebrated  in  Springfield  upon  the 
arrival  of  the  first  train  under  the  command  of  Mr.  Parker.  So 
closely  did  Mr.  Parker  attend  to  his  new  duties,  that  for  nineteen 
years  after  he  entered  upon  them,  he  had  been  west  of  the  Con- 
necticut river  but  once,  and  it  was  jocosely  said  of  him,  that  he  did 
not  know  how  the  Springfield  Armory  looked,  as  he  had  seen  only 
its  back  side  for  fifteen  years.  When  Mr.  Parker  resigned  his  posi- 
tion as  conductor,  he  was  appointed  superintendent  of  the  sleep- 
ing cars,  between  Boston  and  New  York,  and  in  April,  1872,  he 
was  made  superintendent  of  all  the  sleeping,  parlor,  passenger  and 
baggage  cars  of  all  the  trains  between  the  two  cities.  During  the 
twenty-nine  years  of  his  service  as  conductor,  he  is  said  to  have 
travelled  in  that  capacity,  without  serious  accident  to  life  or  limb  of 
his  passengers,  more  than  1,500,000  miles,  a  distance  equal  to 
sixty  times  around  the  globe,  and  a  greater  distance,  as  is  believed, 
than  that  of  any  other  known  railroad  conductor. 

"  Upon  Mr.  Parker's  retirement  from  office,  an  elegant  gold  watch 
was  presented  to  him  by  his  friends  who  had  often  travelled  under 
his  assiduous  care,  and  the  employees  of  the  road  gave  him  a  val-' 
uable  horse  and  carriage  in  token  of  their  high  appreciation  of  his 
services.  In  1871  and  1873,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Mas- 
sachusetts House  of  Representatives.  His  house  was  filled  with 
curiosities,  old  books,  rare  drawings,  and  other  specimens  of  hand- 
icraft, which  show  that  if  he  had  devoted  his  life  to  art  or  to  Archae- 
logical  pursuits,  he  would  probably  have  had  but  few  superiors 
in  these  departments  of  knowledge.  By  reason  of  his  interest  in 


HENRY    OILMAN    LITTLE.  331 

these  pursuits,  he  was  admitted  to  a  resident  membership  in  the 
New  England  Historical  and  Genealogical  Society,  November  24, 
1862,  and  he  was  also  an  honorary  member  of  the  New  Hampshire 
Historical  Society." 

HENRY  OILMAN  LITTLE 

was  the  sixth  of  the  thirteen  children  of  Abner  B.  and  Nancy 
(Tenney)  Little,  and  was  born  in  Goffstown,  N.  H.,  March  31, 
1813.  During  his  infancy,  his  parents  removed  to  Hollis,  where  he 
lived  till  his  eighteenth  year,  enjoying  such  advantages  for  educa- 
tion as  were  then  afforded  in  the  Beaver  Brook  district,  viz.,  two 
months  of  school  in  winter,  and  three  in  summer.  In  1830,  he 
left  his  paternal  home  in  Hollis,  and  spent  the  next  six  years  in 
Wethersfield,  Ct.,  partly  in  study  and  teaching,  and  in  part  in  labor. 
In  March,  1836,  ne  married  Fidelia  M.  Stoddard,  of  Newington, 
Ct.,  and  removed  to  the  then  new  State  of  Illinois,  and  the  next 
year  settled  in  Henry  county,  where  he  passed  thirty  years  of  an 
active  and  busy  life,  engaged  in  agriculture,  and  filling  various 
important  offices  of  public  trust.  During  the  first  year  of  his  resi- 
dence there  he  took  part  in  organizing  the  county,  and  was  elected 
Justice  of  the  Peace,  an  office  he  held  for  twelve  years  and  more. 
In  1850  he  was  High  Sheriff,  and  Collector  of  the  whole  revenue  of 
the  county — at  that  time  a  position  of  great  responsibility,  there 
then  being  neither  a  safe,  bank  nor  jail  in  the  county.  In  1856  he 
was  elected  to  the  Illinois  legislature,  of  which  he  was  for  two 
years  a  member.  He  was  for  five  years  President  of  the  Henry 
County  Agricultural  Society,  which  he  had  helped  to  organize. 
He  was  probably  at  no  time  free  from  public  trust  and  duty,  either 
as  an  officer  of  State,  the  county,  town,  church  or  school  board. 

In  1867  he  removed  to  Grinnell,  Iowa,  on  account  of  the  educa- 
tional advantages  afforded  by  the  college  at  that  place.  Here  for 
four  successive  terms  he  has  been  elected  Mayor  of  that  city,  and 
for  most  of  the  time  has  served  as  school  director,  and  trustee  of 
the  church  and  society,  and  at  Grinnell,  (as  in  his  former  home), 
many  substantial  and  tasteful  improvements  will  long  bear  witness 
to  his  skill  and  public  spirit. 

In  1878  he  was  elected  by  the  Iowa  legislature  one  of  the  five 
trustees  of  the  State  Agricultural  college,  a  post  of  high  trust  and 
great  responsibility,  involving  the  care  of  the  endowment  fund  of  a 
half  million  of  dollars,  together  with  the  direction  and,  management 


332  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES. 

of  the  flourishing  college  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  students  with 
its  large  faculty,  and  the  college  farm  of  eight  hundred  acres. 

At  the  age  of  sixty-five  Mr.  Little  remains  with  unbroken  health, 
unabated  vigor,  energy  and  usefulness.  Though  afflicted  by  the 
loss  of  an  only  son  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  he  has  reared  to  woman- 
hood a  family  of  five  daughters,  of  whom  three  have  graduated 
from  college,  and  all  are  now  married.  He  has  still,  as  always  in 
the  past,  a  cheerful,  attractive  and  hospitable  home,  and  as  yet  has 
no  thought  of  retiring  from  active  life. 

LUTHER   PRESCOTT   IIUBBARD, 

was  born  in  Hollis,  June  30,  1808,  and  was  the  oldest  child  of 
Luther  and  Hannah  (Russell)  Hubbard.  Mr.  Hubbard,  in  his 
childhood  and  youth,  attended  the  public  schools  in  the  Middle  dis- 
trict in  Hollis,  and  was  for  a  short  time  a  pupil  in  the  Pinkerton 
academy  at  Derry.  He  helped  to  build  the  first  cotton  mill  in 
Nashua  in  1824 ;  afterwards  the  Bunker  hill  monument,  and  also 
superintended  the  fitting  of  the  granite  for  the  Tremont  hotel  in 
Boston. 

His  views  in  respect  to  and  against  the  use  of  tobacco  have  been 
widely  published  by  the  American  Tract  Society,  by  the  religious 
and  secular  press,  and  also  in  the  Sailor's  Magazine. 

Mr.  Hubbard  has  been  for  twenty  years  a  corresponding  mem- 
ber of  the  Iowa  State  Historical  Society,  and  is  an  honorary  mem- 
ber of  the  New  Hampshire  Antiquarian  Society,  and  is  the  author 
of  a  Genealogy,  entitled  "Descendants  of  George  Hubbard  from 
1600  to  1872,"  published  in  the  year  last  named,  and  tracing  his 
family  line  ten  generations.  The  last  forty-five  years  of  his  life 
have  been  zealously,  and  usefully  devoted,  mostly  to  the  interests  of 
seamen.  For  many  years  he  has  been  the  financial  agent  of  the 
American  Seamen's  Friend  Society,  and  also  Secretary  of  the  New 
England  Society  of  the  city  of  New  York,  both  of  which  offices  he 
still  holds  and  fills  acceptably. 

He  now  resides  in  Greenwich,  Connecticut,  the  State  of  his  hon- 
ored progenitor,  George  Hubbard,  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Weth- 
ersfield,  Ct.,  in  1634,  but  has  his  office  in  New  York  city. 

JOSEPH   WHEAT,  AN   OLD-TIME  STAGE-DRIVER. 

Joseph  Wheat,  famous  eighty  years  ago  as  a  stage-driver,  came 
to  Hollis  in  his  youth,  with  his  father,  soon  after  the  Revolution. 


JOSEPH    WHEAT.  333 

He  was  by  trade  a  cooper,  and  built  and  owned  the  house  on  the 
main  road  leading  from  Hollis  to  Amherst,  which,  in  1796,  he  sold 
to  Dea.  Enos  Hardy,  and  which  was  for  many  years  afterwards  the 
well-known  homestead  of  Deacon  Hardy.  Soon  after  this  sale, 
Wheat  removed  to  Amherst  and  became  interested  in  a  line  of 
stages,  both  as  owner  and  driver, — the  line  running  from  Concord 
and  beyond  to  Boston.  I  am  indebted  mainly  to  Rev.  Dr.  Bouton's 
History  of  Concord  for  the  following  humorous  anecdotes  of  this 
primitive  stage  driver.* 

"Of  Joseph  Wheat,  who  will  be  recollected  as  almost  if  not 
quite  the  first  driver  of  a  stage  into  Concord,  and  whose  nose  will 
be  remembered  long,  I  have  two  or  three  anecdotes.  At  one  time 
being  complained  of  by  the  people  of  Amherst,  (one  of  the  towns  on 
his  stage  route,)  that  he  did  not  give  the  customary  notice  of  his 
approach  by  blowing  a  tin  horn,  hej  replied  to  this  complaint 
through  the  Amherst  Cabinet,  '  that  he  was  too  poor  to  buy  a  tin 
horn,  but  that,  in  the  future,  when  they  should  see  his  nose  they 
might  expect  the  stage  in  ten  minutes.' 

"  Upon  another  occasion,  stopping  for  his  breakfast  one  frosty 
morning,  a  somewhat  dainty  passenger,  sitting  at  the  table  opposite 
to  him,  and  observing  the  effects  of  the  cold  coming  from  his  nose, 
rudely  requested  Wheat  to  wipe  it.  '  Wipe  it  yourself,'  coolly 
answered  the  driver,  '  my  nose  is  nearer  to  you  than  to  me.' 

"  Again,  when  driving  his  stage  from  Concord  to  Hanover,  he 
met  Rev.  Dr.  Wheelock,  president  of  the  college,  riding  in  his  car- 
riage. As  he  was  about  to  pass  the  president,  Wheat  took  hold  of 
his  nose  and,  turning  it  one  side,  said,  '  I  think,  Mr.  President,  you 
can  pass  now.'  " 

It  seems  that  Mr.  Wheat,  among  other  gifts  and  graces  pertaining 
to  his  calling,  had  also  that  of  -verse  making.  As  an  illustration 
of  the  commendable  change  in  the  tastes  and  habits  of  the  patrons 
of  public  stage  coaches  since  the  dram-drinking  days  of  eighty 
years  ago,  we  quote  the  closing  stanza  of  one  of  Mr.  Wheat's 
poetic  effusions,  giving  notice  to  the  public  of  his  having  estab- 
lished a  new  line  of  stages. 

"  Come,  my  old  Friends,  and  take  a  seat 

In  this  new  Line  with  Joseph  Wheat, 
And  when  to  your  journey's  end  you've  come, 
Your  friend  will  treat  with  good  old  Rum." 

*Bouton's  History  of  Concord,  p.  577. 


334  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

Another  similar  poetic  effusion  of  his  was  the  following  adver- 
tisement of  his  business  as  a  cooper. 

"  My  advice  to  farmers  all 

Is — Pick  your  apples  as  they  fall. 
And  if  your  cider's  pure  and  sweet, 

Please  buy  your  casks  of  Joseph  Wheat." 


THE    HOLLIS    HERMITS. 
DR.  JOHN  JONES. 

There  were  two  persons,  formerly  living  in  Hollis,  somewhat 
famous  in  their  day  as  "  Hermits,"  viz.,  John  Jones,  commonly 
called  "  Dr.  Jones,"  and  Stephen  Y.  French,  better  known  as 
"  Leather  French."  Jones,  the  first  named,  according  to  the  tra- 
ditions of  him,  was  the  son  of  a  wealthy  British  military  officer  of 
good  family,  born  in  England  in  the  early  part  of  the  last  century, 
and  came  to  this  country  while  yet  a  young  man.  After  coming  to 
America  he  is  said  to  have  lived  a  solitary,  wandering  life,  till  he 
came  to  Hollis  soon  after  the  war  of  the  Revolution. 

Upon  settling  in  Hollis,  he  bought  for  himself  a  patch  of  ground 
of  about  four  acres  in  the  north  part  of  the  town,  at  a  distance  from 
any  public  road,  near  Mooar's  hill  so  called,  and  now  a  part  of 
the  farm  of  Lot  Mooar.  Here  he  built  for  himself  a  small  humble 
dwelling,  which  he  called  his  "  Lone  Cottage."  He  set  out  on  his 
grounds  an  orchard  of  choice  varieties  of  grafted  apple  and  other 
fruit  trees,  and  also  many  kinds  of  shrubs,  herbs  and  flowers,  which 
he  took  great  pains  to  cultivate,  and  it  is  said  of  him  that  he  was 
the  first  person  to  introduce  grafted  fruit  into  Hollis. 

In  his  youth  Dr.  Jones  was  crossed  in  love,  as  a  result  of  which 
his  mind  became  unsettled  and  distracted,  and  his  disappoint- 
ment ended  in  his  eccentricities  and  wayward  mode  of  life.  He 
is  reputed  to  have  been  educated  for  the  pulpit,  and  at  the  early 
age  of  twenty,  had  had  and  accepted  a  call  to  settle  in  the  min- 
istry, which  was  broken  off  by  his  disappointment  and  the  untimely 
death  of  his  lady  love.  He  was  a  person  naturally  of  bright  intel- 
lect, of  much  humor  and  ready  wit,  reputed  somewhat  of  a  poet, 
and  some  of  his  effusions  in  verse  have  come  down  to  the  present 
day. 

Before  coming  to  Hollis,  he  had  written  and  published  a  long  bal- 
lad, of  near  forty  stanzas,  telling  the  sad  story  of  his  life  and 
troubles,  entitled  the  "  Major's  only  son  and  his  True  Love."  My 


THE    HOLLIS    HERMITS.  335 

limits  do  not  allow  me  to  copy  but  a  few  extracts  from  this  ballad. 
In  its  first  stanza,  its  author  says, 

"  Come  all  young  people  far  and  near, 

A  lamentation  you  shall  hear 
Of  a  young  man   and  his  True-Love 
Whom  he  adored  and  prized  above 
All  riches."    *        *        *        * 

This  ballad  was  learned  by  heart  and  sung  sixty  years  ago  by 
hundreds  of  the  "  young  people"  of  Hollis  and  the  neighboring 
towns,  and  also  was  often  sung  by  the  doctor  himself  in  loud,  sad 
tones,  when  alone  in  his  "  Lone  Cottage."  It  appears  from  the 
recitals  in  the  ballad  that  both  the  father  and  mother  of  the  doctor 
were  persistently  and  irreconcilably  opposed  to  his  marrying  the 
maid  of  his  choice,  as  he  says, 

"  Because  she  was  of  low  degree 
And  came  of  a  poor  family." 

Angry  at  this  opposition  of  the  father  and  mother  of  the  doctor, 
one  day  when  Jones  was  visiting  the  young  lady,  her  father  said  to 
him,  as  the  ballad  has  it, 

"'  My  daughter  is  as  good  as  you,"  and 

Turned  this  young  man  without  his  door 
And  told  him  to  come  there  no  more." 

After  this' enforced  separation  the  young  lady  took  to  her  chamber, 
sickened,  pined  away  and  soon  after  died.  Shortly  before  her  death 
she  sent  her  brother  for  the  "  young  man,"  to  whom  she  told  the 
sad  tale  of  her  sickness  and  sorrow.  Taking  the  engagement  rings 
from  her  fingers  just  before  her  death  she  gave  them  to  him,  saying, 

"Keep  them  for  my  sake 

And  always  when  these  rings  you  see, 
Remember  that  I  died  far  thee."        *        * 
"  Tears  down  his  cheeks  as  fountains  run, 

He  cried,  alas!     'I  am  undone. 
No  comfort  ever  shall  I  have, 
.   Wnile  I  go  rmurning  to  my  grave.'" 

The  "young  man"  attended  the  funeral  of  his  betrothed  as  chief 
mourner,  as  the  ballad  has  it, 

"  Dressed  in  black  from  top  to  toe    *    * 

And  after  that  distracted  run, 
And  so  forever  was  undone, 
And  wandered  up  and  down,  alone." 

While  living  in  Hollis  Jones  supported  himself  in  part  by  raising 
and  preparing  medicinal  herbs,  and  various  nostrums  from  them, 
which  he  peddled  in  Hollis  and  other  towns  near,  hence  his  title  of 


336  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

"  Doctor."  In  his  wanderings  about  the  country  he  usually  wore  a 
broad  brimmed  hat  with  a  mourning  weed  around  it,  and  a  long, 
plaid  dressing  gown.  In  his  thus  going  about,  he  carried  with  him 
two  baskets,  one  in  each  hand,  the  one  of  which  he  named  the 
"  Charity,"  the  other  the  "  Pity  basket."  In  these  he  carried  for 
sale  and  barter  his  herbs  and  nostrums,  and  also  "  Liberty  tea,'*  so 
called,  and,  in  their  season,  juniper  berries,  and  scions  for  grafting, 
from  his  orchard,  taking  home  with  him,  in  the  same  baskets,  the 
articles  he  got  in  exchange.  He  also  kept  for  sale  copies  of  verses 
written  by  him,  including  the  ballad  telling  the  story  of  his 
troubles. 

Years  ago,  and  within  my  own  remembrance,  many  anecdotes 
were  told  of  his  impromptu  verses  and  rhymes,  and  of  his  humor  and 
wit.  His  age  at  his  death,  as  inscribed  on  his  gravestone,  was  sixty- 
nine,  though  he  was  supposed  to  have  been  somewhat  older.  But 
on  this  subject  he  was  very  taciturn,  and  inclined  to  keep  the  secret 
of  his  age  to  himself.  At  one  time,  an  unmarried  lady  customer  of 
his,  to  whom  he  had  sold  some  of  his  ''  Liberty  tea,"  of  the  name 
of  Phebe  (herself  of  uncertain  age),  took  occasion  to  question  him 
upon  this  matter,  in  the  hope  of  solving  the  mystery.  The  doctor, 
in  reply,  told  her  that  "  she  might  ask  him  just  as  many  questions 
as  she  was  years  old."  Nettled  at  this  evasive  answer,  Phebe 
reproachfully  called  him  an  "old  cracked  riddle  of  one  doleful 
tune,"  and  demanded  of  him  to  take  back  his  "  Liberty  tea  "and 
return  her  money.  In  reply  to  this  demand  the  doctor  said  to  herr 

"  Phebe,  my  dear,  my  own  sweet  honey, 

You've  got   your  tea,  and  I've  got  my  money." 

It  was  his  habit,  as  a  spectator,  to  attend  the  courts  at  Amherst,. 
where,  as  he  used  to  say,  the  lawyers  would  try  to  get  a  "  crumb  of 
sport "  out  of  him.  On  one  occasion,  having  been  bantered  by 
them  for  one  of  his  impromptu  stanzas,  he  was  afterwards  invited 
by  the  host  to  eat  at  a  second  table,  from  which  the  judges  and  law- 
yers had  just  risen  from  a  dinner  of  roast  poultry.  Having  finished 
his  meal,  on  rising  from  the  table,  in  place  of  his  customary  after 
dinner  grace,  with  one  eye  upon  the  lawyers,  he  gave  expression  to 
his  sentiments  in  respect  to  his  dinner  and  tt\z  guests  at  the  first 
table  in  the  following  terse  couplet, 

"Cursed  be  the  owls 

That  picked  these  fowls  ; 
And  left  the  bone* 

For  Dr.  Jones." 


DR.   JOHN  JONES.  337 

For  the  following  anecdote  of  Dr.  Jones,  I  am  indebted  to  my 
friend,  Hon.  J.  B.  Hill,  who  tells  me  that  it  was  told  him  by  his- 
father,  Rev.  Ebenezer  Hill  of  Mason,  who  was  cotemporary  with 
Dr.  Jones,  and  for  many  years  a  member  of  the  Hollis  Association 
of  ministers.  The  doctor,  as  he  says  of  himself  in  his-  ballad, 
(having  been  educated  for  the  ministry)  at  the  time  he  lived  in 
Hollis,  was  in  the  habit  of  attending  the  meetings  of  this  Associa- 
tion of  ministers,  as  well  as  the  courts,  not  as  a  member,  but  as  one 
of  the  persons  styled  "  company"  in  the  records  of  the  Associa- 
tion. On  such  occasions,  he  sometimes  proposed  for  discussion 
questions  in  theology,  which  interested  him,  and  at  one  time  the 
following,  ''Was  there  ever  a  man  that  had  a  tongue  which  never 
told  a  lie,  or  a  heart  which  never  had  an  evil  thought?"  This  ques- 
tion was  promptly  answered  by  all  present  with  a  decided  negative 
and  "  nailed  wi'  scripture."  The  doctor  insisted  on  the  affirma- 
tive— and  said  to  them  that  he  would  prove  that  they  were  all 
wrong,  and  at  once  went  to  the  door,  and  brought  in  one  of  his 
baskets,  and  uncovering  it  showed  them  the  head  and  heart  of  a 
sheep,  and  pointing  to  them,  exclaimed  in  triumph,  '  there  is  a 
tongue  that  never  told  a  lie,  and  a  heart  that  never  had  an  evil 
thought,  and  they  are  both  mine." 

On  another  occasion,  calling  at  a  house  where  he  wished  for  din- 
ner, he  said  to  the  hostess,  that  if  she  would  provide  him  one,  he 
would  write  for  her  a  suitable  epitaph,  two  lines  of  which  were  to 
be  composed  before  dinner,  and  two  after.  This  bargain  being 
struck,  he  wrote  for  her  the  first  two  lines," 

"  Good  old  Sarah  died  of  late, 

And  just  arrived  at  Heaven's  gate." 

The  good  lady  concluded  that  these  lines  would  fit  her  case,  and 
provided  the  dinner.  But  the  entertainment  not  having  been  wholly 
to  the  taste  of  the  doctor,  on  rising  from  the  table,  and  with  one 
hand  on  the  door  latch,  he  added  to  the  first  two  lines, 

"  Old  Gabriel  met  her  with  a  club 

And  knocked  her  back  to  Beelzebub!" 

There  were  at  that  time,  in  Hollis,  three  young  men  to  whom  the 
doctor  was  strongly  attached,  and  whom  he  called  his  adopted  sons, 
viz.,  Thaddeus  Wheeler,  Jun.,  Timothy  Emerson,  and  J.  Coolidge 
Wheat,  the  last  named,  by  trade,  a  stone  cutter,  and  maker  of  grave- 
stones. During  the  life  of  Jones,  and  under  his  eye  and  direction. 

Wheat  had  made  for  him  a  large,  neatly  finished  gravestone,  fully 
(22) 


338  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

completed  and  lettered,  except  the  date  of  his  death,  with  the  epi- 
taph inscribed  upon  it,  furnished  by  the  doctor,  and  copied  from  a 
stanza  of  his  ballad.  By  his  will  dated  January  i,  1791,  the  little 
estate  that  the  doctor  left  was  given  to  his  three  adopted  sons,  with 
:the  single  condition,  that  Wheat  should  finish  and  set  up  his  grave- 
.-stone.  This  gravestone  is  now  to  be  found  standing  at  the  grave 
of  the  doctor,  near  the  north  end  of  the  central  burial  ground  in 
'Hollis,  with  the  following  inscription  : 

"Da.  JOHN  JONES, 
Died  July  14,  1796,  set.  69. 

"  In  youth  he  was  a  scholar  bright, 

In  learning  he  took  great  delight, 
He  was  a  Major's  only  son, 

It  was  for  love  he  was  undone." 


STEPHEN  YOUNGMAN    FRENCH. 

Another  somewhat  noted  hermit,  a  native  of  Hollis,  was  Stephen 
Y.  French,  better  known  by  his  acquired  name  of  "  Leather 
French,"  a  son  of  Joseph  French,  a  Hollis  soldier  of  the  Revolution, 
and  Mary  (Youngman)  French,  and  was  born  in  Hollis,  September 
^3,  1781.  Early  in  life  he  wandered  to  Exeter  in  the  State  of 
Maine,  where  for  many  years  he  lived  in  his  little  cabin  as  a  her- 
mit, solitary  and  alone.  Hon.  John  B.  Hill,  the  author  of  the 
Tiistory  of  Mason,  who  was  settled  in  his  profession  as  a  lawyer 
in  Exeter  for  several  years,  and  was  well  acquainted  with  this 
recluse,  says  of  him,  that  he  was  harmless,  simple  minded,  poverty 
stricken,  and  of  feeble  understanding.  That  it  was  manifest  that 
French  and  work  of  all  sorts  had  had  a  falling  out  at  an  early  day, 
and  had  parted  company  forever.  Being  utterly  destitute  of  fam- 
ily or  friends,  he  took  up  his  abode  upon  a  tract  of  land  in  Exeter, 
known  as  the  "  Hurricane,"  for  the  reason  that  all  attempts  to  set- 
tle it  had  been  abandoned,  the  felled  trees  having  been  left  on  the 
ground  to  rot,  over  which  fires  had  run,  and  the  land  itself  left  to 
an  overgrowth  of  brushwood,  brambles  and  weeds.  Upon  this 
desolate  and  forsaken  spot  French  built  for  himself  a  little  hut, 
cleared  off  a  small  patch  of  it  for  corn  and  vegetables,  and  there 
lived  a  lonely,  weary  and  poverty-stricken  life  until,  in  old  age,  he 
found  shelter  and  a  comfortable  home  in  the  Exeter  alms-house, 
"where  he  died,  at  the  age  of  near  eighty  years,  March  8,  1858. 
His  entire  wardrobe  was  mainly  of  tanned  sheepskins,  hence  his 


LEATHER    FRENCH.  .    339 

acquired  name  of  "  Leather  French."  His  name  and  fame  have 
been  perpetuated  in  the  following  pleasant  stanzas  to  his  memory, 
copied  from  a  little  volume  of  poems  by  David  Barker,  Esq.,  late 
of  Bangor,  Me.,  who  was  a  native  of  Exeter. 

"TO  LEATHER  FRENCH. 

"You  have  haunted  the  dreams  of  my  sleep,  Leather  French, 

You  have  troubled  me  often  and  long; 
And  now  to  give  rest  to  the  waves  of  my  soul, 
Leather  French,  let  me  sing  you  a  song. 

"I  suppose  the  cold  world  msy  sneer,  Leather  French, 

For  it  has  done  so  too  often  before, 
When  the  innermost  spirit  has  snatched  up  its  harp, 
Just  to  sing  o'er  the  grave  of  the  poor. 

"Never  mind,  let  them  laugh,  let  them  sneer,  Leather  French, 

We  will  not  be  disturbed  by  them  long, 
'  For  we'll  step  aside  from  the  battle  of  life, 

While  I  question  and  sing  you  a  song. 

"You  were  poor  when  you  lived  here  below,  Leather  French, 

And  you  suffered  from  hunger  and  cold, 
And  it  was  well  you  escaped  from  the  storm  and  the  blast 
At  the  time  you  grew  weary  and  old. 

"Has  that  old  leather  garb  that  you  wore,  Leather  French, 

That  you  wore,  in  the  days  long  ago, 
.  Been  exchanged  for  the  robe  that  you  named  in  your  prayer, 

For  a  robe  that  is  whiter  than  snow? 

"And  that  dreary  old  hut  where  you  dwelt,  Leather  French, 

That  old  hut  on  the  '  Hurricane '  lands, 
Was  it  bartered  by  you  at  the  portals  of  death      , 

For  a  house  not  erected  with  hands? 
"When   the  toys  that  I  love  become  stale,  Leather  French, 

And  my  life's  fitful  fever  is  passed, 
Shall  I  safely  cross  over  the  Jordan  of  Death? 
Shall  I  meet  you  in  Heaven  at  last? 

"Tell  me  true,  tell  me  all,  tell  me  now,  Leather  French, 

For  the  tale  you  can  tell  me  is  worth 
More  to  me  than  the  wisdom,  the  pleasure,  the  fame 
And  the  riches  and  honors  of  earth. 

"Shall  I  meet  no  response  to  my  call,  Leather  French? 

Tell  me  quick  for  I  cannot  wait  long, 
For  I'm  summoned  again  to  the  battle  of  life. — 
Leather  French,  I  have  finished  my  song." 


The  personal  biographical  sketches  presented  in  different  connec- 
tions in  this  history,  it  is  believed,  are  more  numerous  than  will  be 
readily  found  in  any  other  like  town  history.  Still  it  is  not  to  be 
presumed  that  these  sketches  embrace  all  the  natives  or  permanent 
residents  of  the  town  whose  names  deserve  honorable  mention. 


34°  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

Many  others  of  the  descendants  of  the  early  settlers,  neither 
"'  graduates  of  college,"  nor  known  to  the  public  as  "  ministers,'' 
"  lawyers,"  " physicians,  officeholders  or  politicians"  are,  doubt- 
less, equally  worthy.  Of  these,  many  emigrated  to  other  States 
or  towns,  and  by  their  enterprise,  intelligence  and  personal  integ- 
rity, became  honored  citizens  in  their  new  homes.  More  of  them, 
"whose  sober  wishes  never  learned  to  stray,"  settled  in  their 
native  town,  and,  "  content  to  breathe  their  native  air  on  their 
own  ground,"  have  creditably  sustained  the  good  name  of  a  worthy 
and  honored  ancestry. 


LONGEVITY. 


341 


CHAPTER    XXXI. 

NAMES  OF  SUCH  PERSONS  AS  HAVE  DECEASED  SINCE  THE  WAR 
OF  THE  REVOLUTION,  '  AT  THE  AGE  OF  EIGHTY  YEARS  OR 
MORE,  WHOSE  AGES  WITH  THE  DATE  OF  THEIR  DECEASE 
HAVE  BEEN  ASCERTAINED. 


1^83,  May  27,  Widow  Martha  Hardy,  Szyrs.iSiy, 

"     Oct.  14,    Rev.  Francis  Worcester,  85  1818, 

1785,  July  10,    Wid.  Hannah  Farr,  92  1819, 
"     Nov.  7,    Dea.  Samuel  Goodhue,  90  1823, 

1786,  June  2,     Wid.  Mary  Harris,  Si  1825, 

1787,  Dec.  13,  Lt.  Benjamin  Farley,  in  his  8oth  y    " 

1789,  Wid.  Lydia  Ulrich,  104,4111     " 
"                      Wid.  Sarah  Kemp,  00  " 

1790,  May  25,   Mrs.  Susanna  Jewett,  82  1826, 

1791,  Oct.  5,     Dea.  Nathaniel  Jewett,  81  " 
1793,  Feb.  2,    John  Willoughby,  85  1827, 
1795,  Sept.  23,  Wid.  Lydia  Taylor,  83  " 

1797,  May  20,  Wid.  Joanna  Farley,  So  " 

1798,  Sept.  21,  Wid.  Anna  Powers,  90  1828, 

1800,  Oct.  2,      Wid.  Hannah  Hunt,  94  1829, 

1801,  Sept.  30,  Rev.  Daniel  Emerson,  85  " 

1802,  Feb.  7,     Ensign  Benj.  Parker,  82   •     1830, 

1808,  Feb.  13,  Mrs.  Margaret  Jewett,  82  " 
"     Mar.  6,    James  Jewett,  85  1831, 
"     Mar.  6,    Lt.  Amos  Eastman,  88  " 
"     Apr.  13,  Mrs.  Abigail  Hardy,  82 

"     July  27,  Wid.  Kezia  Taylor,  86  1832, 

1809,  Mar.  20,  Zachariah  Shattuck,  85  " 
"     Aug.  21,  Wid.  Catharine  Thurston,  90  " 

1811,  Feb.  9,    Capt.  Reuben  Dow,  81  " 
"                    Mrs.  Esther  Scott,  94  " 

1812,  Wid.  Abigail  Wright,  96  1833, 
"     Feb.  28,  Wid.  Hannah  Emerson,  90  " 
"      Apr.  »6,  Wid.  Ruth  Boynton,  88  1834, 

1813,  Mar.  7,    Phineas  Hardy,  86 

"     May  24,  Samuel  Ober,  80  " 

"     Nor.  12,  Wid.  Mehitable  Eastman,  88  1836, 

1814,  Sept.  24,  Nicholas  Youngman,  91  " 

1815,  Jan.  10,   JJehemiah  Woods,  83  1837, 
"     NOT.  8,   Wid.  Elizabeth  Shattuck,  88  " 

;8i6,  Nov.  13,  Wid.  Alice  Parker,  83  " 


Aug.  13,  Noah  Worcester,  Esq.,  Si  yrs 

Jan.  2,     Abijah  Gould,  82 

Apr.  27,  Jonas  Flagg,  87 

Jan.  31,    Wid.  Susanna  Pierce,  85 

Jan.  3,      Wid.  Hannah  Parker,  95 

Feb.  13,  Miss  Alice  Powers,  88 

June  7,    Wid.  Martha  Flagg,  84 

July  17,  Wid.  Lydia  Dow,  92 

Sept.  25,  Benjamin  Saunderson,  So 

Oct.  6,     Lt.  Ebenezer  Jewett,  83 

Jan.  16,  Wid.  Sarah  Hardy,  86 

Jan.  28,    Lt.  Ebenezer  Farley,  So 

Mar.  7,    Silas  Spaulding,  So 

Nov.  7,    Thomas  Patch,  85 

Jan.  7,     Wid.  Miriam  Dix,  90 

Jan.  29,  Daniel  Lovejoy,  83 

April  7,  Wid.  Sarah  Holden,  oo 

Oct.  2,     Wid.  Elizabeth  Hale,  98 

May         Wid.  Sarah  Lovejoy,  83 

May  24,  Wid.  Lydia  Lovejoy,  84 
July  2,     Wid.  Hepzibah  Worcester,  85 

Feb.  28,  Wid.  Hannah  Ames,  Si 

May  7,     Phineas  Hardy,  Jun.,  Si 

May  22,  Silas  Marshall,  S6 

Aug.  2,  Amos  Eastman,  Esq.,  Si 

Oct.  26,  Lt.  Samuel  Willoughby,  86 

Jan.         William  Ball,  84 

April  5,  Lt.  Caleb  Farley,  102, 5m 

Oct.  10,  Jonathan  Hobart,  81 

Nov.  6,   Wid.  Sibbel  Spaulding,  83 

Dec.  12,  Abel  Brown,  84 

Feb.  19,  Wid.  Elizabeth  Powers,  85 

April,      Wid.  Sarah  Eastman,  86 

Jan.  13,   Stephen  Farley,  84 

Benjamin  Abbott,  88 

Dec.  la,  Capt.  John  Clapp,  So 


342 


LONGEVITY. 


1838,  Dec.  13,  Wid.  Abigail  Ober, 

1839,  Wid.  Hannah  W.  Shattuck 
"     Nov.  i,   Stephen  Dow, 

1841,  Jan.  4,     Wid.  Sarah  Brown, 
"     Oct.  10,  Wid.  Priscilla  Blood, 
44     Oct.  29,  Wid.  Betty  Austin, 

1842,  Wid.  Susannah  Wood, 
"     June  30,  Wid.  Mary  Bailey, 

"     Sept.  3,  Mary,  wife  of  Capt.  D. 

Bailey, 
"     Dec.  5,    Miss  Eunice  Marshall, 

1843,  Apr.  ii,  Silas  French 

"     June  3,     Wid.  Ruth  Farley, 

"     Oct.  19,    Wid.  Abigail  Kittridge, 

"     Dec.  8,     Wid.  Sibbel  Proctor, 

1844,  Sept.  29,  Moses  Ames, 

1847,  Jan-  '>     Capt.  William  Brown, 
"     Mar.  13,  Capt.  Daniel  Bailey, 

"     April  i,  Wid.  Sarah  Worcester, 
"     May  n,  Rev.  Eli  Smith, 
"     Nov.  25,  Jonas  Woods, 

1848,  Mar.  9,    Wid.  Mary  Rockwood, 
"     Dec.  30,  Wid.  Abigail  Runnells, 

1849,  Jan.  21,    Enoch  Jewett, 
44     June  4,     David  French, 

"     Oct.  5,     Wid.  Rebecca  Ames, 

1850,  May  24,  Wid.  Mary  Jewett, 

"     Aug.  23,  Jonathan  Saunderson, 

1851,  Mar.  ii,  Wid.  Abigail  Colburn, 
44     May  20,  Wid.  Reb'ecca  Ball, 

"      Aug.  4,   Wid.  Dorcas  Mooar, 
"     Sept.  24,  James  Jewell, 

1852,  Feb.  13,  Wid.  Sarah  Blood, 
14     May  n,  Solomon  Hardy, 

14     Sept.  25,  Daniel  Merrill, 

1853,  Oct.  22,  Wid.  Azubah  Wheeler, 

1854,  July  31,  Daniel  Dow, 

44     Oct.  10,  Dr.  William  Hale, 

1855,  Mar.  25,  Jonas  Lawrence, 

14     Sept.  28,  Wid.  Abigail  Hardy, 
44     Oct.  8,     Samuel  Smith, 

1856,  May  8,    Phineas  H.  Holden, 
41     Dec.  13,  Ruth  Hall, 

14     Dec.  15,  Wid.  Betsey  Burge, 

1857,  Jan.  9,     Wid.  Rebecca  Whiting, 
44     May  18,  Dea.  Enos  Hardy, 

44     Nov.  24,  Wid.  Sybil  Holt, 
44     Dec.  22,  Capt.  Isaac  Parker, 
44     Dec.  22,  Lt.  Edward  Johnson, 

1858,  Aug.  19,  Wid.  Olive  Proctor, 
"     Oct.  10,  Wid.  Esther  Hale, 

1860,  Mar.  18,  Simon  Stone, 
44      Aug.  4,  Wid.  Ama  Smith, 
<l,     Aug.  4,  Wid.  Sarah  Pool, 


93yrs.  1860,  Nov.  3,  Ebenezer  Farley,  86  yrs- 

95        1861,  Apr.  18,  Capt.  Thomas  Proctor,  81 

82  1862,  Jan.  3,     Wid.  Olive  Parker,  89 

83  "     Jan.  2,    Wid.  Fanny  Lawrence,  87 
95            "     Oct.  18,  Wid.  Dorothy  Wood,  84 
99        1863,  Jan.  26,   Robert  Colburn,  88 
81         1864,        4>         Miss  Sarah  Farley,  Sa 
90        1865,  Sept.  16,  Benjamin  M.  Farley,  Esq., Sg 

44     Sept.  20,  Dr.  Joseph  F.  Eastman,  93 

44     Oct.  30,  Nathan  Colburn,  80  • 

1867,  May  13,  Moses  Truell,  84 

1868,  Apr.  35,  Daniel  Shedd,  83 

1869,  Mar.  21,  Wid.  Hannah  Willoby,  84 
44     July  25,  Wid.  Sally  Hardy,  95 
44     Sept.  26,  Jonas  Woods,  87 

1870,  Feb.       Wid.  Nancy  Smith,  86 
44     Feb.  26,  Maj.  James  Wheeler,  84 
44     June  21,  Jonas  Blood,  96 


S4 
93 
Si 

87 
93 
90 
So 
So 
91 
8S 
87 
88 

94 
81 
92 
85 
85 
84 
84 
96 

83 
Si 
98 
85 
SS 
92 

101, ii m 
84 
92 
81 
84 


Wid.  Hannah  Hubbard,    90 


82 
88 

SS 
So 
88 
82 
So 
86 
83 
9« 
90 


1871,  Jan.  9,     Thaddeus  Wheeler,  97 
44     Apr.  7,    Mary  Holden,  85 
44     Apr.  18,  Thaddeus  Marshall,  06 
44     May  6,    Wid.  Abigail  Clough,  S3 
44     Aug.  29,  Wid.  Esther  Wheeler,  84 

1872,  May  22,  Capt.  Jonathan  T.  Wright,  84 
44      Sept.  18,  Simon  Saunderson,  Si 

1873,  Feb.  12,  Asaph  Spaulding,  93. 
44     Feb.  21,  Benjamin  Ranger,  80 
44     May  14,  John  Shedd,  Si 
41     June  12,  Wid.  SarahW.  Richardson,  84 
41      Oct.  26,  James  Farley,  83 
44     Dec.  3,    Dea.  William  Emerson,  82 

1874,  Feb.  12,  Mrs.  Rebecca  Baldwin,  87 
44     Feb.  25,  Dea.  Isaac  Farley,  90 
44     Feb.  26,  Isaac  Woods,  82 

May  17,  Miss  Polly  Rockwood,  89 

44     Nov.  4,  Wid.  Susan  Fox,  84 

1875,  Jan.  24,   Wid.  Lydia  Colburn,  88 
14     Mar.  ii,  Wid.  Betsey  II .  Mooar,  92 
41     Mar.  ii,  Wid.  Bridget  French,  97 
44     June  25,  Wid.  Rebecca  Blood,  90 
44     Dec.  9,    Wid.  Sally  Hale,  04 

1876,  Jan.  31,  Joseph  Shattuck,  92 
44     Jan.  31,  Wid.  Susanna  Blood,  94 
44     Mar.  24,  Capt.  Jeremiah  Dow,  So 

1877,  Apr.         Wid.  Nancy  Wright,  SS 
"     July  3°>  Wid.  Ruth  Farley,  80 
14     Sept.  12,  Oliver  Willoby,  SS 

1878,  Feb.  6,    Jesse  Hardy,  83, 
44     Mar.  6,    Ebenezer  Farley,  So 
44     Apr.  3,    Wid.  Abigail  Smith,  93 

1879,  Jan.  24,  Wid.  Elizabeth  Woodward,  97 
44      Feb.  22.  Wid.  Hannah  Russell,  83 
44     Mar.  8,  Wid.  Sarah  Austin,  93, 


MARRIAGES   IN    CHRONOLOGICAL   ORDER.  343 


CHAPTER    XXXII. 

MARRIAGES    TO     BE     FOUND    RECORDED     IN     THE    RECORDS     OF    THE 
DISTRICT    OF    DUNSTABLE. 

1743,  Feb.     7,  Elias  Dickey  and  Rose  McDaniels.both    of  West  Dunstable. 

1744,  Oct.     9,  Samuel  Farley  and  Hannah  Brown,           "           " 
"  "  John  Brown  and  Kezia  Wheeler,                   "          " 
"  Dec.  n,  Benjamin  Blanchard  and  Kezia  Hastings,  "          " 

1745,  Jan.,  Thomas  Nevinsof  W.  Dunstable  and  Bridget  Snow  of  Nottingham. 
'•  "       4,  Joseph  Farley  of  W.  Dunstable  and  Esther  Spalding  of  Litchfield. 

"  Feb.    9,  Josiah  Conant  of  West  Dunstable  and  Catharine  Emerson  of  Reading. 

"  Mar.    2,  Robert  Colburn  and  Elizabeth  Leeman,  both  of  W.  Dunstable. 

"  May    6,  John  Boynton,  Jun.  of  W.  Dunstable  and  Lydia  Jewett  of  Rowley. 

"  Nov.,  Jacob  Blanchard  and  Elizabeth  Lawrence,  both  of  W.  Dunstable. 

"  "     26,  Wm.  Shattuck  of  W.  Dunstable  and  Experience  Curtis  of  Nottingham. 

MARRIAGES    RECORDED     IN     THE     FIRST     THREE    VOLUMES     OF     THE 
HOLLIS    RECORDS. 

1743,  May  24,    Jonathan  Danforth  and  Anna  Blanchard. 

1744,  "    29,     William  Adams  and  Mary  Spear. 

"  Nov.   7,  Rev.  Daniel  Emerson  and  Hannah  Emerson  of  Maiden. 

1747,  Sept.  12,  Joshua  Blanchard  of  Ilollis  and  Sarah  Burge,  Chelmsford,  "publtsh'd." 
"  Mar.  21,  Robert  Colburn  of  Monson  and  Elizabeth  Smith  of  Hollis,         " 

1748,  Aug.  12,  Nathaniel  Clement  of  Hancock  and  Wid.  Hannah  Cummings  of  H.  pub. 

1750,  Nov.    i,  James  Wheeler  and  Mary  Butterfield. 
"  Dec.    4,  Jonathan  Melvin  and  Mary  Brooks. 

1751,  Mar.  19,  Peter  Wheeler  and  Mehitabel  Jewett. 

1752,  Dec.  27,  Oliver  Lawrence  and  Mary  Cummings. 

1753,  Apr.     i,  Eleazer  Cumings  and  Martha  Brown. 

1754,  May     i,  Timothy  Cook  of  Hollis  and  Abigail  Wheat  of  Concord. 

1754,  June     2,     Samuel  Burge  and  Joanna  Farley. 

1755,  May     6,     Matthew  Wallace  and  Jean  Lesley. 

"  "      20,  Whitcomb  Powers  and  Mary  Dolliver. 

"  "      27,  Samuel  Whittemore  and  Olive  Blanchard. 

"  June    2,  Josiah  Fisk  and  Sarah  Colburn. 

"  Nov.  6,  Aaron  Colburn  of  Dracut  and  Phebe  Harris  of  HollU. 

"  "     27,  Josiah  Blood  of  Hollis  and  Sarah  Heywood  of  Chelmsford. 

1756,  Jan.     i,  John  Astin  and  Sarah  Hastings,  both  of  Hollis. 
"  "      19,  Moses  Smith  and  Mary  Boynton         "          " 

"       Mar.  25,     Samuel  Brown  and  Mary  Glene          "          " 
•"       Apr.    8,    Joseph  Bates  of  New  Ipswick,  and  Phebe  Powers  of  Holli;. 
"  "     20,     Nehemiah  Woods  of  Hollis,  and  Sarah  Lakin  of  Grotoa. 


344  MARRIAGES    IN    CHRONOLOGICAL    ORDER. 

1756,  Nov.  16,  Edward  Taylor  and  Sarah  Sanders,  both  of  Hollis. 

1757,  Jan.      5,  Stephen  Powers  of  Hollis  and  Lucy  Cumings  of  Dunstable.- 
'•  "        5,  John  Brooks  and  Mary  Kemp,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Feb.  33,  Noah  Worcester  and  Lydia  Taylor  "          " 

"  July    n»  Joshua  Smith  of  Hollis  and  Hannah  Baldwin  of  Townsend.. 

"  Aug.   3,  James  Whiting  of  Hollis  and  Mary  Douglas  of  Pepperell. 

"  Sept.  13,  Nathaniel  Blanchard  and  Elizabeth  Rolfe,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  "     15,  Thomas  Colburn  of  Pepperell  and  Esther  Flagg  of  Hollis. 

1758,  Feb.  33,  Ezekiel  Jewett  and  Lucy  Townsend,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Apr.  30,  Zerubbabel  Kemp  and  Hannah  Colburn,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  May  30,  Jacob  Foster  and  Lydia  Barrett,                  "         " 

"  Nov.  16,  Jonathan  Russ  of  Hollis  and  Lucy  Kendall  of  Litchfield- 

1759,  Mar.  39,  William  Brooks  and  Abigail  Kemp,  both  of  Hollis. 
"  "     31,  Stephen  Martin  and  Patience  Worcester,  "        " 

"  Dec.    6,  Blearer  Stearns  and  Elizabeth  Pierce,       "        " 

1760,  Feb.     7,  Caleb  Stiles  and  Elizabeth  Townsend,     "        " 

"  Mar.  35,  Richard  Warner  of  Pepperell  and  Hannah  Eastman  of  Hollis, 

"  Apr.  34,  John  Campbell  of  Townsend  and  Sarah  Barton  of  Hollis. 

"  July   10,  Jonas  Willoughby  and  Hannah  Bates,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Sept.  i,  James  French  and  Sarah  Brooks,               "         " 

••    .   Nov.  13,  John  Atwell  and  Bridget  Cumings,  "          " 

"  "     a7i  Josiah  French  and  Sarah  Astin,                   "          " 

1761,  Jan.    >3,  Samuel  Brown  and  Mary  Wheeler,  "          " 

"  Apr.    3,  William  Shattuck  of  Hollis  and  Zilpha  Turner  of  Lancaster. 

"  Nov.   3,  Francis  Blood  and  Elizabeth  Spalding,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Dec.  34,  David  Wright  of  Pepperell  and  Prudence  Cumings  of  Hollis. 

1763,  Jan.      7,  Ephraim  Surge  and  Anna  Abbot,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  "      37,  James  Hobart  and  Hannah  Cumings   "          " 

•'  Feb.  33,  Ebenezer  Kendall  and  Lucy  Cumings  "          •' 

"  Mar.  18,  Amos  Fisk  and  Elizabeth  Flagg          "          " 

11  June  31,  Zachariah  Parker  and  Elizabeth  Brown,  both  of  Hollis. 

1763,  July      i,  William  Waters  of  Townsend  and  Mary  Lesley  of  Hollis- 

"  ••       7,  Timothy  Astin  and  Elizabeth  Ames,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Sept.  3O,  Jonathan  Fowler  and  Lucy  Kemp,          "        " 

1763,  Feb.  34,  Thomas  Boynton  and  Abigail  Elliot,      "        " 
"  "       3,  Eleazer  Parker  and  Dinah  Farnsworth,  "        " 

"  May    5,  Francis  Powers  and  Elizabeth  Cumings,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  June    9,  Joseph  Stearns  and  Mary  Shattuck  of  Monson. 

"  Apr.  37,  Jotham  Cumings  and  Anna   Brown,  both   of  Hollis. 

"  Sept.   i,  Isaac  Powers  and  Abigail  Sanders,            "            " 

1764,  Jan.   3O,  Nathaniel  Blood  and  Esther  Hobart,            "            " 
"  Feb.  14,  Job  Harris  of  Athol  and  Eleanor  Harris  of  Hollis. 
"  Sept.  37,  Thomas  Pratt  and  Caty  Cumings,  both  of  Hollis. 
"  "      8,  Peter  Stearns  and  Abigail   Wheat,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Nov.  38,    Jonathan  Powers   of  Dunstable  and  Susannah  Willoughby  of  Hollis. 

1765,  Feb.  38,  Ezekiel  Jewett  and  Anna  Williams,  both  of  Hollis, 

"  Apr.    i,  Lev!  Fletcher   of  Dunstable  and  Phebe  Stearns  of  Hollis. 

"  "      2,  Thomas  Merrill  of  Pembroke  and  Abigail  Ambrose  of  Hollis. 

"  Aug.  37,  James  Gould  and  Mary  Lovejoy,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Oct.     8,  Silas  Brown  and  Lucy  Wheeler,         '«            " 

1766,  May  33,  Richard  Pierce  and  Susannah  Jewett,  both  of  Hollis 
"  "     39,  Trueworthy  Smith  and  Sarah  Taylor,        "            " 

"  June    5,  Elnathan  Blood  and  Deborah  Phelps,      "            " 

"  Nov.  6,  Ebenezer  Farley  and  Betty  Wheeler,        "            " 

"  "  37,  Swallow  Tucker  and  Lucretia  Carter,        "            " 

1767,  Feb.  a6,    Isaac  Stearns  and  Rebekah  Jewett,  "  " 

"  Mar.  6,  David  Wallingford  and  Elizabeth  Leeman,  both  of  Monson. 

"  June    9,    Christopher  Lovejoy  and  Hannah  Kemp,  both  of  Hollis. 


MARRIAGES    IN   CHRONOLOGICAL   ORDER.  345 

1767,  Oct.   22,  Joshua  Davis  and  Dorothy  Wheeler,  both  of  Hollis. 
"  Nov.  19,  Daniel  Lovejoy  and  Sarah  Wyman.        " 

"  *'    J9>  Joseph  Pierce  and  Sarah  Phelps,             "            " 

1768,  Jan.    28,  William  Cumings  and  Mehitable  Eastman,  both  of  Hollis. 
"  Mar.  24,  William  Nevins  and  Rebekah  Chamberlain,     "          " 

"  Apr.  21,  James  Taylor  of  Hollis  and  Lois  Butterfield  of  Dunstable. 

"  July     7,  Tonn  Stearns  of  Hollis  and  Lucy  Shedd  of  Dunstable. 

"  Nov.    3,  Samuel  Cumings,  Jun.,  and  Lydia  Webster,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  "       15,  Benjamin  Shattuck  and  Mary  Proctor,                 "            " 

"  "       16,  Emerson  Smith  and  Mary  Page  of  Hollis. 

"  "      17,  Daniel  Emerson,  Jun.,  of  Hollis  and  Ama  Fletcher  of  Dunstable. 

"  "      24,  Benjamin  Astin  and  Betty  Farley,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  "       24,  Abel  Shipley  and  Lucy  Farley,             "          " 

"  Dec.  12,  Francis  Blood  and  Abigail  Conroy,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  "     15,  James  Foster  of  Temple  and  Hannah  Jewett  of  Hollis. 

1769,  Jan.      5,  Solomon  Blood  and  Priscilla  French,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  "       9,  Josiah  Conant  of  Hollis  and  Elizabeth  Elliot  of  Mason. 

"  Feb.   7,  Nahum  Powers  and  Mary  Wheat,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  June  22,  Ebenezer  Nutting  and  Elizabeth  Abbot,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Oct.      5,  Thomas  Kemp  and  Mehitable  Lovejoy,           "          " 

"  "     17,  Thaddeus  Wheeler  and  Elizabeth  Farmer,    "          " 

"  "     19,  Jonathan  Bates  of  Ashby  and  Mehitable  WTilloughby  of  Hollis, 

"  Nov.  22,  Zachariah  Lawrence,  Jun.,  and  Rebekah  Powers,both  of  Hollit. 

"  "     23i  Jonas  Bancroft  of  Worcester  and  Sarah  Blood  of  Hollis. 

1770,  Jan,   n,  Isaac  Pierce  of  Pepperell  and  Sarah  Blood  of  Hollis. 

"  Feb.  15,  Jeremiah  Wheeler  of  Concord  and  Kezia  Blanchard  of  Hollis. 

"  Oct.    18,  Ebenezer  Ball  and  Elizabeth  Davis,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Dec.    6,  John  Philbrick  and  Sarah  Jewett,            "            " 

1771,  Jan.      2,  Isaac  Stevens  and  Elizabeth  Johnson,  both  of  Hollis. 
"  "      22,  James  Fiske  and  Sarah  Leeman,                  "          " 

"  Feb.     i,  Joseph  French  and  Mary  Youngman,         "          " 

"  Mar.  10,  Cyrus  Proctor  and  Sibbel  Farnsworth,      "          " 

«  "     79,  Solomon  Pierce  and  Lucy  Parker,               "          " 

"  May     3,  Timothy  French  and  Anna  Willoughby    "          " 

"  Aug.    i,  James  Colburn  and  Kezia  Taylor, 

"  "     29,  Solomon  Wheat  and  Sarah  Ball,                   "          "• 

"  Sept.    5,  Amos  Lamson  and  Mary  Stevens,                "          " 

"  Nov.  14,  Edward  Taylor  and  Mary  Worcester,          "          " 

"  .    "    3i,  Jerahmael  Bowers  and  Martha  Tenney,     "          " 

"  "    28,  Zachariah  Shattuck  and  Elizabeth  Farley,  "         " 

"  Dec.   19,  Jesse  Churchill  of  Plymouth,  Mass.,  and  Abigail  Worcester, 

1772,  Jan.    14,  Thomas  Powell  and  Elizabeth  Stevens,  both  of  Hollis. 
"  "       22,  Simeon  Lovejoy  and  Grace  Lovejoy,             "            " 

"  Feb.  ao,  Joseph  Nevins  and  Sarah  Powers,                  "           " 

"  May  i2,  Ephraim  Lund  and  Alice  Wheeler,               ••           " 

"  Apr.  16,  Nathan  Blood  and  Elizabeth  Noyes,             " 

"  Sept.  6,  Benjamin  Fanner  of  Hollis  and  Sarah  Emerson  of  Nottingham  West. 

"  "     30,  Noah  Worcester  and  Hepzibah  Sherwin,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Nov.  n,  Jonathan  Ames  and  Frances  Powers,               "            " 

"  "      17,  Thomas  Curaings  and  Hannah  Pool,                "            " 

"  Dec.    3,  Zachariah  Kemp  and  Sarah  Townsend,            "           " 

"  "     17,  Timothy  Wyman  and  Elizabeth  Shattuck,      "            " 

"  "     34,  John  Phelps,  Jun.,  of  Hollis  and  Mary  Lakin  of  Groton; 

1773,  Feb.  16,  Jacob  Lovejoy  and  Elizabeth  Baxter,  both  of  Hollis. 
"  Mar.   i,  Lebbeus  Wheeler  and  Elizabeth  Carter      "           " 

"  Apr.  22,  John  Kendall  of  Amherst  and  Molly  Boynton  of  Hollis. 

«  "    28,  Joseph  Brown  and  Lois  Blood,  both  of  Hollis. 

41  June  29,  Ebenezer  Stearns  and  Rachel  Ames,  "        " 
(23) 


MARRIAGES    IN   CHRONOLOGICAL    ORDER. 

1773,    June  ?o»    Jonathan  Emerson  of  Nottingham  West  and  Sibbel  Farmer  of  Hollit. 
"       Sept.   8,    Timothy  Wheeler  of  Plymouth  and  Mary  Nevins  of  Hollis. 
"       Oct.      7,    Joshua  Stiles  of  Lyndeborough  and  Mehitabel  Leeman  of  Hollis. 
"       Nov.  25,    Thomas  Wakefield  of  Aniherst  and  Elizabeth  Hardy  of  Hollis. 
"       Dec.  23,     Levi   Fletcher  and   Esther  Bennet,  both  of  Hollis. 
"  "    30,    Christopher  Farley  and  Ruth  Jewett        "  " 

11774,    Jan.      6,    Amos  Eastman  and  Ruth  Flagg,  "  " 

"          "      13,    Jonas  Lesley  and  Elizabeth  Dow,  "  " 

"          "      ao,    Jonas  Blood  and  Molly  Brown,  "  " 

"        Feb.  JO,    John  Goss  and  Catharine  Conant,  "  " 

"          "      17,    Manasseh  Smith  and  Hannah  Emerson,  "  " 

"          "      24,    John  Kneeland  of  Boston  and  Ann  Hobart  of  Hollis. 
"       Feb.  24,     Samuel' Gerrish  of  Boscawen  and  Lucy  Noyes  of  Hollis. 
"  8,     Obadiah  Eastman  of  Bath  and  Elizabeth  Searle  of  Hollis. 

"      June  28,    John  Willoughbyof  Hollis,  and  Elizabeth  Sprake  of  Billerica, 
"       Aug.  4,     Samson  Powers  and  Elizabeth  Nutting,  both  of  Hollis. 
"       Sept.  15,     Stephen  Hazleton  and  Esther  Hildreth  "  " 

"          "      19,     Samuel  Cunningham  and  Susannah  Carter,    "  " 

"        Nov.  22,    Samuel  Conroy  and  Alice  Blood,  "  " 

"          "      24,    Nehemiah  Hardy  and  Molly  Taylor,  "  " 

"       Dec.  15,     Benjamin  AVright  and  Esther  Taylor,  "  " 

1775,    Jan.      3,    John  Smith  of  Nottingham  W.  and  Sarah  Merrill  of  Hollis. 
11          "       4,    Emerson  Smith  of  Hollis  and  Abigail  Ayre. 
"          "      12,    Jonathan  Lovejoy  and  Rebekah  Ball,  both  of  Hollis. 
"       Feb.    9,     Benjamin  Nevins  and  Annis  Moore,  both  of  Hollis. 
"          "      16,    Joshua  Blanchard,  Jun.,  and  Lucy  French,  both  of  Hollis. 
"       Mar.  16,     Timothy  Blood  and  Sarah  Dix,  both  of  Hollis. 

<(          "     22,    Capt.  Jonas  Pollard  of  Westford  and  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Abbot  of  Hollis. 
"       Apr.  20,    Caleb  Blood  and  Rebecca  Hopkins,  both  of  Hollis. 
"       May  18,    David  Hardy  of  Wilmington  and  Hannah  Worcester  of  Hollis. 
"       Sept.  15,     Minot  Farmer  and  Abigail  Barron,  both  of  Hollis. 
"  "     18,     Timothy  French  and  Hannah  Wright,  both  of  Hollis. 

"        Nov.  7,     Parmenter  Honey  and  Sarah  Hale,  both  of  Hollis. 
"  "    30,     Nathaniel  Ball  and  Martha  Boynton,  both  of  Hollis. 

1776,      Tan-  '8,    Nathaniel  Rideout  and  Susannah  Spaulding,  both  of  Hollis. 
"       Feb.  20,    Samuel  Ambrose  and  Mary  Goodhue,  both  of  Hollis. 
"       July     2,    Jacob  Putnam  of  Wilton  and  Wid.  Patience  Martin  of  Hollis. 
•"  "     17,     Ensign  Daniel  Merrill  of  Hollis  and  Jerusha  Williams  of  Pepperell. 

•"  "     25,    William  French,  Jun.,  of  Hollis  and  Lucy  Fletcher  of  Chelmsford. 

•"       Aug.  18,    Job  Bayley  and  Mehitable  French,  both  of  Hollis. 
•"       Sept.  10,    Josiah  Hobart  of  Groton  and  Lucy  Kendall  of  Hollis. 
•"       Nov.    3,     Samuel  Abbot  and  Susannah  Hobart,  both  of  Hollis. 
41       Dec.  25,    Thomas  Jaquith  and  Rhoda  Spaulding,  both  of  Hollis. 
*777i     Feb-  a°i    Ebenezer  Melvin  of  Cockermouth  and  Joanna  Bayley  of  Holli*. 
"       May.    8,    James  Colburn  and  Elizabeth  Blood,  both  of  Hollis. 
"       Nov.  12,    Daniel  Mosher  and  Lydia  Gilson,  "          " 

14  "    18,    Nehemiah  Pierce  and  Mary  Hobart,          "          " 

"       Dec.    4,    John  Ball  of  Temple  and  Hannah  Farley  of  Hollis. 
<•          "      18,     Moses  Thurston  and  Catharine  Conant,  both  of  Hollis. 
'<  "      18,    Jonathan  Hobart  and  Alice  Wright,  "          " 

"          "     18,    Joseph  Farley  and  Bridget  Powers,  "          " 

1778,    Mar.  31,    Joseph  Stearns  and  Abigail  Wheat,  "          " 

"       April  9,     Elijah  Clark  and  Martha  Runnells, 
"        May  26,    Joshua  Boynton  and  Mary  Parker, 

"       June   9,    William  Ayers  of  Haverhill  and  Mary  Runnells  of  Hollis. 
"      Aug.  16,    John  Warren  of  New  Ipswich  and  Sarah  Eastman  of  Holli*. 
"          "    33,    William  Wood  and  Susannah  Wright,  both  of  Hollis. 
"      Nov.    5,    Samuel  Worcester  and  Lois  Boynton,         "          " 


MARRIAGES    IN    CHRONOLOGICAL   ORDER.  347 

1778,  Nov.    5,     Benjamin  Boynton  and  Deborah  Parker,  both  of  Holiis, 
"       Nov.  16,     Stephen  Jewett,  Jun.,  and  Elizabeth  Pool,     "          " 

"      Dec.  James  Hopkins  of  Amherst  and  Mary  Taylor  of  Holiis. 

1779,  Jan.   28,    Stephen  Farley  and  Mary  Shattuck,  both  of  Holiis. 
"          "     28,    Nathan  Colburn  and  Abigail  Shattuck,   "        " 

"  Mar.   17,  Jonathan  Dix  of  Raby  and  Miriam  Kneeland  of  Harvard. 

"  Apr.   7,  Samuel  Leeman  and  Mary  Wheeler,  both  of  Holiis. 

"  "      13,  Thomas  Pratt  and  Anna  Lawrence,          "          " 

"  June  10,  Dr.  Ebenezer  Rockwood  and  Mary  Emerson,  both  of  Holiis. 

\     "  Nov.  25,  Josiah  Fisk  and  Mary  Caldwell,                                  "          " 

"  Dec.     9,  John  Shattuck  of  New  Ipswich  and  Mary  Farley  of  Holiis. 

1780,  Mar.    9,  Stephen  Wright  of  Westford  and  Sarah  Carter  of  Holiis. 

'•  "     29,    Nehemiah  Hardy  of  Tewksbury  and  \Vid.  Abigail  Hardy  of  Holiis, 

"  April         David  Truell  of  Amherst  and  Wid.  Sarah  Fisk  of  Holiis. 

"  May  31,     Samuel  Hill  and  Jemima  Wheeler,  both  of  Holiis. 

"  June  15,    Simeon  Blood  and  Rhoda  Youngman,    "          " 

"  "     15,    Uriah  Wright  and  Eunice  Jewett,              "          " 

"  June  18,     Benjamin  Farley,  zd,  of   Holiis  and  Lucy  Fletcher  of  Dunstable. 

"  July  13,     Ebenezer  Wheeler  and  Azubah  Taylor,  both  of  Holiis. 

"  Aug.  24,     Isaac  Boynton  and  Mary  Brooks,                    "          " 

"  "     24,    Jonathan  Parker  and  Naomi  Parker,               "          " 

"  Oct.     9,    Thomas  Merrill  of  Conway  and  Wid.  Elizabeth  Cumings  of  Holiis. 

"  "     17,    William  W.  Pool  and  Sarah  Farley,  both  of  Holiis. 

"  Nov.  21,    Abraham  Boynton  of  Pepperell  and  Mary  Hartshorn  of  Holiis. 

"  Dec.     7,    Dr.  Jonathan  Pool  and  Elizabeth  Hale,  both  of  Holiis. 

"      7,     Stephen  Runnells  and  Chloe  Thurston,          "          " 

"  "     7,     Benjamin  Cumings  and  Bridget  Pool,            "          " 

1781,  Jan.            Abijah  Hildreth  of  Townsend  and  Hannah  Smith  of  Holiis. 

"  Feb.     9,    William  Ball  and  Elizabeth  Colburn,  both  of  Holiis. 

"  Feb.    9,     Enoch  Noyes,  Jun.,  of  Cockermouth  and  Zillah  Fox. 

"  Mar.    6,     Bray  Wilkins  of  Deering  and  Wid.  Lucy  Blanchard  of  Holiis. 

"  Mar,  13,     Lemuel  Wright  and  Widow  Mary  Johnson,  both  of  Holiis. 

"  "        15,    Aquilla  Kimball  of  Bradford  and  Anna  Tenney  of  Holiis. 

"  "        22,     David  Ames  and  Anna  Wright,  both  of  Holiis. 

"  Apr.  10,     William  Elliot  of  Pepperell  and  Sarah  Honey  of  Holiis. 

"  "        12,     Caleb  Farley,  Jun.,  and  Abigail  Phelps,  both  of  Holiis. 

"  "        26,    Jonas  Woods  and  Lydia  Hobart, 

'•  Nov.  19,    Jacob  Taylor  and  Betty  Boynton,            "            " 

"  "        19,     Shubael  Parker  and  Betty  Brooks,         "            " 

"  "        20,    Abel  Conant  and  Margaret  Jewett,         "           " 

"  Dec.  27,     Lt.  Jeremiah  Pritchard  of  New  Ipswich  and  Elizabeth  Smith  of  Holiis. 
1782,     Jan.     9,    Nathaniel  Blood  and  Martha  Spear,  both  of  Holiis. 

"  "       17,    Jonathan  Hobart  and  Elizabeth  Lakin,  "            " 

"  Feb.    4,     Stephen  Childs  of  Upton   and   Priscilla  Wheat  of  Holiis. 

"  "       6,    Abel  Lovejoy  and  Sarah  Fox,  both  of  Holiis. 

"  "      13,    John  Connick  of  Holiis,  and  Abigail  Hartshorn  of  Dunstable. 

"  Feb.           Daniel  Kendrick   and   Mary   Pool,  both   of  Holiis. 

"  Apr.  24,    William  Brooks,  Jun.,  and  Deborah  Parker,  both  of  Holiis. 

"  "      24,    John  Ball  and  Mary  Chamberlain, 

"  May     7,     Oliver  Lawrence,  Tun->  a"d  Lydia  Dow, 

"  "      16,     Solomon  Hobart  and  Abigail  Brooks,                  " 

"  "      23,     Simon  Pierce,  Jun.,  and  Sarah  Boynton, 

"  "      37i    John  Fox  and  Sarah  Worcester, 

"  "      28,     Burpee  Ames  and  Grace  Whiting, 

"  June          Jesse  Worcester  and  Sarah  Parker, 

'<  "      13,     Eliphalet  Brown  and  Sarah  Wright, 

•  <  «      13,    Timothy  Jones  of  Amherst  and  Elizabeth  Kenrick  of  Holiis. 

"  Oct.    10,    William  Spear,  Jun.,  of  New  Ipswich  and  Sarah  Emerson  of  Holiis. 


MARRIAGES    IN    CHRONOLOGICAL   ORDER. 

1782,  Nov.  28,  Stephen  Bent  of  Dublin  and  Elizabeth  Darby  of  Hollis. 

1783,  Apr.  29,  Josiah  Woodbury  of  Hollis  and  Wid.  Abigail  Whipple  of  Maton. 
"  May     7,  Lt.  Samuel  Farley  of  Hollis  and  Elizabeth  Powers  of  Mason. 

"  "      22,  Thomas   Carter  and   Polly  Foot,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Oct.    10,  Joseph  Wheat  and  Wid.  Bridget  Farley,  "        " 

"  Dec.  ii,  Joel  Proctor  and  Caty  Blood,                        "        " 

"  "      25,  Phineas  Fletcher  of  Dunstable  and  Anna  Burge  of  Hollis. 

1784,  Jan.      i,  Thomas  Hardy  of  Dublin  and  Lucy  Colburn  of  Hollis. 
"  "      15,  Jacob  Mooar  and  Hannah  Shattuck,  both  of  Hollis. 

'•  Feb.   12,  Elisha  Wright  and  Anna  Sanders,        "            ". 

"  Mar.    4,  Daniel  Bayley  and  Elizabeth  French,   "            " 

"  "      18,  John  Brooks  and  Elizabeth  Woods,        "            " 

"  Apr.    4,  Burpee  Ames  and  Wid.  Hannah  Cumings,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  "       8,  Rev.  Isaac  Bailey  of  Sterling  and  Elizabeth  Emerson  of  Hollis. 

"  "      15,  Benjamin  Stearns  and  Elizabeth  Holt,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  "      27,  Stephen  Parker  and  Rachel  Boynton,          "            " 

"  May     2,  Henry  Butter-field  of  Dunstable  and  Mary  How  of  Hollis. 

"  "      13,  Ralph   Emerson    and  Alice    Ames,   both   of  Hollis. 

"  "      20,  Nathaniel  Patten  and  Mehitable  Blood,     "            " 

"  June   12,  Ensign  John  Senter  and  Wid.  Esther  Farnsworth,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  "      17,  Stephen  Dow  and  Abigail  Jewett,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Sept.  16,  Elijah  Noyes  of  Cockermouth  and  Mary  Lewis  of  Hollis. 

"  Dec.    2,  Moses  Proctor  and  Ruth  Austin,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  "      28,  David  Sanderson  and  Larana  Shattuck,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  "      29,  George  Abbot  of  Hollis  and  Naomi  Tuttle  of  Littleton. 

1785,  Feb.   10,  Francis  Worcester  of  Plymouth  and  Hannah  Parker  of  Hollis. 

"  "      14,  James  Colburn  and  Susannah  Hardy,  both  of  Hollis. 


FROM    THE    HOLLIS    RECORDS    OF    MARRIAGES. 

1785,  May   12,    Asa  Baldwin  and  Rosanna  Wheeler,  both  of  Hollis. 

"          "        "     Phineas  Ames  of  Hancock  and  Mehitable  Jewett  of  Hollis. 

"          "      17,    Aaron  Bailey  and  Elizabeth  Wallingford,  both  of  Hollis. 

"          "      24,    Jonas  Willoughby  and  Prudence  Saunders,      "  " 

"  June  12,    Levi  Parker  of  Westford  and  Abigail  Pool  of  Hollis. 

"        "        30.    Capt.  Samuel  Douglas  of  Raby  and  Wid.  Tabitha  Fletcher  of  Hollis. 

"  July    28,    Joseph  Frost  of  Tewksbury  and  Abigail  Leeman,  of  Hollis. 

"  Sept.  21,    David  Wright   and   Polly  Lowell,  both  of  Hollis. 

"       Oct.    25,     Life  Baldwin  and  Polly  Holt,  "  " 

"  Nov.  24,     Reuben  Blood  of  Westminster  and  Lucy  Ball  of  Hollis. 

"       Dec.  26,    James  Rideout,  Jun.,  and  Sarah  Spalding,  both  of  Hollis. 

1786,  Jan.    16,    Peter  Cumings  of  Hancock  and  Sarah  Pierce  of  Hollis. 
"  Feb.   16,    Silas  Hardy  and  Mary  Flagg,   both  of  Hollis. 

"          "       "     John  Edwards  and  Elizabeth  Holden,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Mar.    8,    Oliver  Bacon  of  Jaffrey  and  Rebecca  Jewett  of  Hollis. 
"          "      21,    John  Goddard,  Jun.,  and  Lucy  Stiles,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  June   16,     Silas  Swallow  of  Dunstable  and  Lucy  Emerson  of  Hollis. 
"          "      "      Stephen  Youngman  and  Abigail  Brown,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Oct.   26,    John  Bonner  and  Sarah  Brooks,  " 

"  Dec.    7,    William  Ball  and  Rebeeca  Kinney,  "  " 

178?!  Jan.    31,    Oliver  Willoughby  and  Sarah  Bailey,  "  " 

"  Feb.  15,    Benjamin  Farley,  3d,  of  Hollis  and  Mary  Blodgett  of  Dunstable. 
"          "  .  3S>    James  Grossman  and  Rebecca  Proctor  of  Hollis. 

1787,  Apr.  ao,    John  Goodhue  and  Rebecca  Perham,  both  of  Hollis. 
"  June    3,    David  Hale  and  Elizabeth  Holden,  "  " 

"  Sept. 20,'   Capt.  William  Brooks  and  Hepzibah  Powers,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Nov.  13,    Joel  Boynton  of  Hopkinton  and  Betty  Wallace  of  Hollis. 


MARRIAGES    IN    CHRONOLOGICAL   ORDER.  349 

'1788,  Jan.     3,    Jesse  Hardy  and  Rebecca  Bailey,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Feb.    7,     Reuben  Hobart  of  Cockermouth  and  Isabel  Colburn  of  Hollis. 

"          •'      17,     Caleb  Stiles,  Jun.,  and  Betty  Pierce,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Apr.  17,    Josiah  Wheat  and  Sarah  Keyes,  "          " 

"  Nov.  9,     Benjamin  Woods  Parker  and  Olive  Pratt,     "          " 

"          "     13,     Isaac  Hardy  and  Submit  Wheat,  "          " 

"          "     27>    Jonas  Flagg  of  Gilmanton  and  Lucy  Jewett  of  Hollis. 

"  Dec.    2,    Thomas  Kemp  of  Hollis  and  Wid.  Hannah  Shattuck  of  Rabjr. 

"          "     16,     Dea.  Josiah   Conant  and  Zerviah  Fox,   both  of  Hollis. 

"          "    29,    Asahel  Twiss  and  Wid.  Isabel  Pierce,  "          " 

''ySOj  Jan-     ')    David  Holden,  Jun.,  and  Bridget  Atwell,       "          " 

"          "      6,    Solomon  Manning  of  Billerica  and  Olive  French  of  Hollis. 

"          "     16,    James  Jewett  and  Lucy  Farley,  both  of   Hollis. 

"          "      20,     William  Reed,  Jun.,  and  Betsey  Burge,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Oct.    19,    Daniel  Meriill  and  Phebe  Dow,  "  " 

"  Dec.  24,     Michael  Carter  and  Rebecca  Shattuck,       •'  " 

1790,  Feb.    9,    Jonathan  Hale  and  Catharine  Mosher,       "  " 

"  Mar.   7,    Jacob  Wheeler  of  Deering  and  Betsey  Dix  of  Hollis. 

"  May    6,     Daniel  Lawrence  and  Polly  Johnson,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  July   28,     Shubael  Hobart  of  Hollis  and  Wid.  Prudence  Parker  of  Groton. 

"  Nov.    9,     Moses  Hardy  and  Abigail  Wheat,  both  of  Hollis. 

"          "      24,     Isaac  Baldwin  of  Amherst  and  Bethiah  Pool  of  Hollis. 

"          "      25,     Francis  Blood  and  Wid.  Abigail  Farmer,  both  of  Hollis. 

"          "      30,     Henry  Wright  of  Ashby  and  Hannah  Boynton  of  Hollis. 

1791,  Jan.     6,    Jacob  Spaulding  of  Hillsborough  and  Mary  Barker  of  Hollis. 
"  Feb.  10,    Jerathmael  Bowers  and  Hannah  Danforth,  both  of  Hollis. 

"          "     15,     Benjamin  Jewett  of  Gilmanton  and  Rebecca  Boynton  of  Hollis. 
"          "     22,     Oliver  Prescott,  Jun.,  of  Groton  and  Nancy  Whiting  of  Hollis. 

"  Apr.  28,     Nathaniel  Shattuck,  Jun.,  and  Hannah  Keyes,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  May    5,    Samuel  Shattuck  and  Lois  Wheat,  "          " 

"  Aug.   j,    Thomas  Hay,  Jun.,  of  Merrimack  and  Rebecca  Pool  of  Hollis. 
"  "     25,     Solomon  Wheeler  and  Hannah  Farley,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Sept.  20,    Jotham  Robbins  of  Dunstable  and  Hannah  Fisk  of  Hollis. 
"          "     ao,    Samuel  Runnells  and  Abigail  Smith,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Oct.  18,    Jonathan  Saunderson  and  Lucy  Pool,        "          " 
"          "     24,     Zebulon  Wheeler  and  Wid.  Mary  Kendrick,  both  of  Hollis. 

I793>  Jan.  31,    Oliver  Blodgett  of  Dunstable  and  Anna  Shipley  of  Hollis. 

"  Mar.  15,     Ebenezer  Jewett  and  Polly  Rideout,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  July   12,    Abraham  Leeman  of  Hollis  and  Wid.  Olive  Jaquith  of  Dunstable. 

"  Oct.  23,    Joseph  Whipple  and  Esther  Pierce,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Nov.  15,    Abijah  Shed  and  Joanna  Farley,  "          " 

"  Dec.  13,    Jonas  Smith  and  Sally  Pool, 

1793,  Jan.   34,    Samuel  Barren  and  Sally  Lund,  "          " 
"          "     28,    Ephraim  Burge  and  Patty  Baldwin,       "          " 

"          "    a8,    Leonard  Whiting,  Jun.,  and  Betsey  Conant,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Nov.2i,    James  Bell  and  Elizabeth  Shattuck,  "          "• 

"          "     28,    John  Powers  and  Hannah  Brooks, 

"  Dec.  24,    Joel  Barker  and  Sally  Foster,  "          " 

1794,  Feb.  ii,     Solomon  Wheat,  Jun.,  and  Hannah  Cumings,     "          " 
"          "     27,    William  Merrill  of  Hollis  and  Dolly  Smith  of  Raby. 

"  Mar.  7,    Moses  Ames  and  Rebecca  Hale,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Apr.  9,     Solomon  Wheelock  of  Leominster  and  Betsey  Ball  of  Hollis. 

"  May   7,    Rev.   Eli  Smith   and  Ama  Emerson,  both  of  Hollis. 

"         "     20,    Jacob  Mooar  and  Dorcas  Hood, 

"  June   9,     Solomon  Blood,  Jun.,  and  Hannah  Kinney,    "          " 

"  July    3i     Isaac  Hardy  and  Mehitable  Boynton,  "          " 

"          "     13,     Benjamin  Pool  and  Sally  Fletcher,  "          " 

•"         "     20,    Dr.  William  Hale  and  Esther  Pool,  "         " 


35°  MARRIAGES   IN   CHRONOLOGICAL   ORDER. 

1794,  Aug.  20,    Daniel  Dow  and  Sally  Lovejoy,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  "    27,     Samuel  Lovejoy  and  Elizabeth  Willoughby,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Nov.  13,     Nathaniel  Shattuck  of  Hancock  and  Susannah  Jewett  of  Hollis. 

"  Dec.  16,    Thomas  Farley  of  Hollis  and  Polly  Jewell  of  Dunstable. 

1795,  Jan.     i,    David  Smith  and  Hepzibah  Worcester,  both  of  Hollis. 
"  Feb.  12,    Aaron  Hardy  of  Lempster  and  Sally  Shattuck  of  Hollis. 
"  Apr.  16,    Abel  Shattuck  and  Sally  Blood,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  "     24,    John  Butterfield  of  Dunstable  and  Sally  Blood  of  Hollis. 

"  May    4,     Stephen  Lovejoy  and  Betsey  Hood,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  "     30,    James  Bradbury  and  Catharine  Conant,  "          " 

"  Nov.  29,    John  Jewett  and  Jane  Ames,                      "          " 

1796,  Jan.    5,    Aaron  Smith  and  Ruth  Farley,  "          " 
"  "      14,    Jonathan  Eads  and  Anna  Holt,                "          " 
"  Feb.  10,    David  Burge  and  Betsey  Mclntosh,        "          " 
"  Mar.    4,    Silas  French  and  Sally  Reed,                     "          '< 

"  "     10,    William  Willoughby  of  Hollis  and  Rebecca  Adams  of  Dunstable. 

"  "      17,     David  Willoughby  and  Polly  Wood,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Apr.  19,    Daniel  Blood,  Jun.,  and  Esther  Rideout,   "          " 

"  June    2,    William  Read  of  Hollis  and  Wid.  Elizabeth  Shed  of  Chelmsford.- 

"  "       9,     Benjamin  Barron  and  Sally  Wood,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Aug.  17,    Timothy  French  of  Dunstable  and  Bridget  Farley  of  Hollis. 

"  Sept,   4,    Nathaniel  Jewett  and  Sally  Blood,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  "      15,    Ebenezer  Farley,  Jun.,  and  Abigail  Farmer,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Nov.  17,     David  Powers  of  Dunstable  and  Polly  Blanchard  of  Hollis. 

"  Dec.  22,    William  Kemp  and  Sally  Shattuck,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  "     29,     Edmund  Williams  of  Pepperell  and  Abigail  Lee  of  Hollis. 

1797,  Jan.      i,    Josiah  Conant  and  Lucy  Jewett,  both  of  Hollis. 
"  "      18,    Jacob  Mosher  and  Mary  Pierce,        "            " 

"  Apr.  19,    Josiah  Hayden  and  Polly  Patch,       "            " 

"  "      19,    John  Sawtell  of  Milford,  and  Martha  Wallingford  of  Hollis. 

"  "      24,    Jesse  Danforth  of  Amherst,  and  Sally  Wheat  of  Hollis. 

"  Sept.  19,     Kendall  Kittridge  and  Sally  Whiting  of  Hollis. 

"  "      21,    Abel  Spaulding  and  Susannah  Marshall,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Oct.   20,    Rev.  Samuel  Worcester  of  Fitchburg  and  Zerviah  Fox  of  Hollis. 

"  Nov.    5,    John  Shed  and  Wid.  Lucy  Jewett,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  "     10,    Enos  Hardy  and  Mary  Lund,                 "            " 

"  "      10,     Ebenezer  Baldwin  and  Lucy  Wheat,    "            " 

"  "      26,    Levi  Nutting  of  Pepperell,  and  Persis  Eastman  of  Hollis. 

"  Dec.    31,    Amos  Eastman  and  Wid.  Deborah  Woods,  both  of  Hollis. 

1798,  Feb.     9,    Luther  Wright  of  Westford  and  Priscilla  Reed  of  Hollis. 

"  "      15,    Daniel  Robbins  of  Dunstable  and  Betsy  Hazelton  of  Hollis. 

"  Mar.    4,    James  Atwell  and  Sarah  Lawrence,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  "      *9>    Jonas  Blood  and  Priscilla  Blood,            "            " 

"  June  15,     David  Woods  and  Patty  Brooks,             "            " 

"  Nov.  28,    Uriah  Reed  and  Betsey  Shed,                   "            " 

1799,  Jan.      i,    Eleazer  Pierce  and  Sally  Austin,  "            " 
"  "        2,    David  French  and  Betsey  Wheeler,        "            " 

A  "      31,     Phineas  H.  Holden  of  Littleton  and  Betsey  Jewett  of  Hollis. 

"  Mar.   17,    Nehemiah  Barker  and  Elizabeth  Wallingford,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Apr.  16,    Thomas  Farley  and  Susannah  Burge,                          "            " 

"  "      25,     Samuel  Smith  and  Margaret  Smith,                             "            " 

"  May  13,     Solomon  Pierce  and  Rebecca  Austin,                           "            " 

'«  "      16,    Nathan  Holt  and  Sibbel  Phelps,                                    "            " 

"  "      23,    Dea.  Thomas  Walker  of  Sudbury  and  Mary  Hayden  of  Hollis. 

"  June    4,    Eleazer  Parker  and  Susannah  Flagg,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  "      n,     Robert  Colburn  and  Kezia  Wright,            "            " 

"  Oct.      i,     Samuel  Conroy  and  Betsey  Dix,                   "            " 

"  "      11,     Abel  Spal  ding  and  Rebecca  Ober,               "            " 


MARRIAGES    IN    CHRONOLOGICAL   ORDER.  351 

1799,  Oct.    20,     William  Tenney  and  Judith  Reed,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Nov.  28,     Moses  S.  Boynton  of  Hancock  and  Hannah  Woodbury  of  Hollis. 

"  "      28,     Hezekiah  Kendall  of  Hollis  and  Lucy  Kidder  of  Amherst. 

1800,  Jan.   23,     Peter  Colburn  and  Rachel  Patch,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Feb.  24,     Zachariah  Alexander  of  Dunstable  and  Wid.  Mary  Messer  of  Hollis. 

"  Mar.  13,     Leonard  Whiting,  Jun.,  and  Wid.  Rebecca  Gilson,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  "      13,    Andrew  Bunton  of  Pembroke  and  Lavinia  Holden  of  Hollis. 

"  "      19,     Benjamin  Austin   and   Sally  Jewett,   both  of  Hollis. 

"  "     26,    Nathaniel  Proctor  and  Olive  Goddard,          "            " 

"  Apr.  28,     Minot  Wheeler  and  Sally  Farley,                   "            " 

"  May  20,    Dr.  Benoni  Cutter  and  Phebe  Tenney,           "            " 

"  July  23,     Isaac  Jewett  and  Polly  Proctor,                       "            'f 

"  Oct.      2,    Jacob  Cobbett  and  Phebe  Kinney,                  " 

"  Nov.  13,    Thaddeus  Wheeler  and  Sibbel  Spaulding,    "           " 

"  "      S3,    Reuben  Killlcutt  of  Hillsborough  and  Sally  Shipley  of  Hollis. 

1801,  Jan.      2,     Samuel  Parker  of  Greenfield  and  Hannah  Rideout  of  Hollis. 
"  "      12,    Josiah  Blood  and  Sally  Spaulding,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Feb.    3,     Phillips  Wood  and  Dorothy  Davis,     "            " 

"  May  31,    James  Jewel!  of  Dunstable  and  Sally  Hobart  of  Hollis. 

"  Ju'y     S>    Ebenezer  Perkins  and  Henrietta  Goddard,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Aug.  13,    James  Mosher  and  Hannah  Pierce,                     "            " 

"  Nov.  26,    David  Rideout  and  Kezia  Wood,                         "            " 

"  "      27,     George  Whitefield  of  Plymouth  and  Lydia  Ranger  of  Hollis. 

"  Dec.     7,     Ebenezer  Perkins  and  Betsey  Austin,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  "      24,    Aaron  Kinney  and  Sally  Phelps,                   "            " 

1802,  Jan.   20,    Abner  B.  Little  of  Salem,  N.  H.,  and  Nancy  Tenney  of  Hollis. 
"  Feb.  17,    Ambrose  Gould  of  Greenfield  and  Susan  Farley  of  Hollis. 

"  Apr.    4,    Joseph  Evans  of  Marlow  and  Patty  Boynton  of  Hollis. 

"  "       6,    John  Ober  of  Hollis  and  Sally  Peacock  of  Amherst. 

"  "      10,     Carshina  Wood  of  Littleton  and  Betsey  L.  Lawrence  of  Hollis, 

"  June  10,     Zachariah  Ober  and  Abigail  Hardy,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Sept.   5,     Nicholas  How  and  Anna  French,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  "        7,     Ebenezer  Parkhurst  of  Dunstable,  Mass.,  and  Hannah  Jewett  of  Hollis 

"  Nov.  25,    Nathan  Shattuck  and  Susanna  Wood,  both  of  Hollis. 
11803,    Jan.    19,    Jacob  Pierce  of  Huntington,  Vt.,  and  Sarah  Jewett  of  Hollis. 

"  Feb.   15,    William  Marshall  of  Hudson  and  Polly  Smith  of  Hollis. 

"  "      22,     Emerson  Parker  and  Rebecca  Blood,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Aug.  15,    Jonathan  Parker  of  Lexington  and  Anna  Hobart  of  Hollis. 

"  Oct.   17,    Jesse   Farley  and   Mary   Phelps,  both  of  Hollis. 
1804,    Jan.    18,    William  Farley  and  Elizabeth  Robbins,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  "      26,    Daniel  Merrill,  3d,  and  Abigail  Colburn,       "            " 

"  Sept.  22,    Phineas  Lovejoy  and  Abigail  Ober,                 " 

•"  "    22,     Aaron  Brooks  and  Polly  Austin,                     "            " 

"  Apr.    S,    Charles  Eastman  and  Rebecca  Spaulding,      "            " 

"  May  16,    Benjamin  Fletcher  and  Abigail  Kittridge,      "            " 

*'  Aug.  30,     Gould  Robbins  of  Dunstable  and  Sarah  Johnson  of  Hollis. 

41  Oct.   10,    Abijah  Gould,  Jun.,  and  Mary  Shattuck,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  "     ii,      David  Hardy  and  Anna  Colburn,                    "            " 

"  "    29,      David  Roby  of  Dunstable  and  Ann  Johnson  of  Hollis. 

"  Nov.  15,    Timothy  Colburn  of  Milford  and  Mary  Lovejoy  of  Hollis. 
7805,    Jan.     9,    Thomas  Richardson  of  Packersfield  and  Polly  Holt  of  Hollis. 

"  "      26,    Abijah  Shed  of  Pepperell  and  Catharine  Goss  of  Hollis. 

"  Sept.          Nathaniel  Rideout  and  Sarah  Abbott,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  "     16,     Nicholas  Youngman  and  Wid.  Lydia  Hobart,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Sept.  16,     Eleazer  Hale  of  Dunstable  and  Sally  Jewell  of  Hollis. 

"  Oct.  30,    Theodore  Wheeler  of  Hollis  and  Susannah  Hamlet  of  DunstaWe. 

•"  Nov.  28,     Benjamin  W.  Wright  and  Sarah  Hardy,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Dec.  26,     Eli  Hunt  of  Peterborough  and  Lydia  Rid«out  of  HoIliB. 


352  MARRIAGES    IN    CHRONOLOGICAL   ORDER. 

1806,  Jan.     :,  William  F.  Phelps  and  Sukey  Farley,  both  of  Hollis. 
"  '•     32,  Stephen  Lund  and  Rachel  Shed,                   "          " 

"  "    30,  Daniel  French  of  Hardwick,  Vt.,  and  Lucy  Goss  of  Hollis. 

"  Feb.  12,  Artemas  Thayer  of  Milford,  Mass.,  and  Elizabeth  Jewett  of  Hollis. 

"  Sept.  24,  Isaac  Mooar  and  Mary  Blood,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Oct.  30,  Paul  Davis  of  Mason  and  Lucy  Pike  of  Hollis. 

"  Nov.   a,  Lt.  Caleb  Farley  and  Wid.  Lucy  Shipley,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Dec.  18,  Luther  Hubbard  of  Hollis  and  Hannah  Russell  of  Carlisle,  Mass. 

"  "     18,  Isaac  Senter  of  Brookhne  and  Sally  Ball  of  Hollis. 

1807,  Apr.   3,  Nathan  Thayer  and  Hannah  Jewett,  both  of  Hollis. 
"  May    4,  Foster  Emerson  and  Ruth  Proctor,         "            " 

"  Sept.  17,  Isaac  Shattuck  of  Washington  and  Hannah  Mooar  of  Hollis. 

"  "     17,  Abijah  Gould  of  Hollis  and  Mary  T.  Sargent  of  Milford. 

"  Oct.  20,  Samuel  Jones,  Jun.,  of  Sudbury  and  Lucy  Phelps  of  Hollis. 

•'  "     20,  Ebenezer  Youngman  and  Thankful  Phelps,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Nov.    i,  John  Grover  of  Charlestown,  Mass.,  and  Rebecca  Blood  of  Hollis. 

"  "     ao,  Joel  How  of  Milford  and  Dorcas  Colburn  of  Hollis. 

1808,  Jan.    14,  Nathan  Colburn,  Jun.,  and  Lydia  Jewett,  both  of  Hollis. 
"  "     20,  Henry  Adams  and  Sarah  Bradley,                  "            " 

"  Feb.  25,  John  W.  Kendall  and  Hannah  Colburn,        "            " 

"  •  Mar.  16,  Daniel  Mooar  of  Hollis  and  Mary  Nevins  of  Amherst. 

"  "     28,  Samuel   Rideout  and  Mary  Lovejoy,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Aug.  27,  Nehemiah  Ranger  and  Esther  Symonds,  "          " 

"  Dec.  15,  Isaac  Farley  and  Charlotte  Woods,           "          " 

"  "     28,  William  Lovejoy  and  Susannah  Rideout,  "          " 

1809,  Jan.  4,  Timothy  Colburn  of  Milford  and  Rebecca  Ball  of  Hollis. 
"  "       4,  Joshua  Wright  and  Rebecca  Willoughby,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  "      18,  Solomon  Hobart  of  Hebron  and  Hannah  Farley  of  Hollis. 

"  Feb.     5,  Daniel  French  of  Hardwick,  Vt.,  and  Sarah  Worcester  of  Hollis. 

'  "  "      ii,  Lester  Holt  of  Lyme  and  Lydia  French  of  Hollis. 

"  "      ai,  James  Rideout,  3d,  and  Edah  Kinney,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  "      28,  Jonas  Blood  of  Buckstown,  Me.,  and  Eliza  Rideout  of  Hollis. 

"  Apr.  26,  Samuel  Runnells  of  Bradford  and  Elizabeth  Lovejoy  of  Hollis. 

"  June    7.  Jonathan  T.  Wheeler  and  Esther  Spaulding,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  "     33,  Isaac  French,  Jun.,  and  Abigail  Farley,     .               "          " 

'•  July   10,  Abraham  Boynton  of  Pepperell  and  Mary  Adams  of  Hollis. 

"  Sept.  28,  Jonas  French,  Jun.,  of  Dunstable  and  Martha  Jewett  of  Hollis. 

"  Nov.  26,  Jeremiah  Sanderson  of  Salem  and  Lucy  French  of  Hollis. 

"  Dec.    7,  Lemuel  Wright,  Jun.,  and  Mary  Farley,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  "     17,  Ralph  Nutting  of  Westford  and  Hannah  Wright  of  Hollis. 

"  "     19,  Josiah  Kidder  of  Amherst  and  Hannah  Nevins  of  Hollis. 

"  "     21,  Rev.  Stephen  Chapin  of  Mt.  Vernon  and  Sally  Mosher  of  Holli*. 

1810,  Jan.  18,  Samuel  French  and  Naomi  Abbot,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Feb.    i,  Benjamin  Austin  and  Wid.  Sarah  Rideout,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  "     20,  Samuel  Chapin  of  Pepperell  and  Elizabeth  Farley  of  Hollis. 

"  "     20,  Jonathan  W.  French  of  Hardwick,  Vt.,  and  Catharine  Conant  of  Hollii 

"  Mar.  14,  John  French  and  Ama  Nevins,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  May    8,  Alfred  Hutchinson  of  Milford  and  Lydia  Foster  of  Holli*. 

"  "     14,  William  Colburn  and  Rebecca  Hardy,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Aug.  12,  Charles  W.  Knowlton  of  New  York  and  Sally  Wood  of  Hollis. 

"  Sept.  12,  Stephen  Lund  of  Merrimack  and  Elizabeth  Ober  of  Hollis. 

"  Nov.  22,  James  Davis  and  Bridget  Wheeler,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Dec.  18,  Benjamin  Messer  and  Abigail  Holt,        "          " 

1811,  Jan.  19,  Andrew  Willoughby  and  Hannah  Davis  "          " 

"  Jan.  22,  Richard  Clough  of  Merrimack  and  Abigail  Proctor  of  Hollis. 

"  Feb.    4,  Zachariah  Kemp  of  Groton,  N.  H.,  and  Elizabeth  Powers  of  Hollis. 

"  "       16,  Amos  Blood  and  Susannah  Phelps,  both  of  Hoi  lis% 

"  June  ao,  Oliver  Willoughby,  Jun.,  and  Martha  Hardy,  both  of  Hollis. 


MARRIAGES    IN    CHRONOLOGICAL    ORDER. 


35$ 


1811,  Oct.  24,  Jesse  Hardy  and  Wid.  Mary  Smith,  both  of  Hollis. 
"  Nov.  21,     Ralph  Lovejoy  and  Abigail  Phelps,      "          " 

1812,  May  10,  Jabez  Chapin  of  Dorchester,  Mass.,  and  Mary  Wood  oi   Holli*. 
"  June  28,  Caleb  Brown,  Jun.,  of  Milford  and  Sarah  Willoughby  of  Hollis. 
"  Aug.  18,  Simeon  Stearns  and  Lydia  Bailey,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Sept.  24,  William  E.  Rockwood  of  Wilton  and  Abigail  Conant  of  Hollis. 

"  Oct.    6,  Timothy  Colburn  of  Milford  and  Betsey  Ball  of  Hollis. 

"  Nov.    i,  David  Mooar,  Jun.,  of  Hollis  and  Putty  Merrill  of  Dunstable. 

"  "      12,  Ralph  E.  Tenney  and  Olive  Brown,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Dec.  24,  Isaac  Kimball  of  Mason  and  Lucinda  Tenney  of  Hollis. 

1813,  Jan.  20,  Samuel  Hamlet  and  Rebecca  Conroy,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Mar.  7,  Rev.  Walter  Chapin  of  Woodstock,  Vt.,  and  Hannah  Mosher  of  Hollis. 

"  "     ii,  Ebenezer  Butterfield  of  Dunstable  and  Lucy  Hobart  of  Hollis.          i 

•'  "     18,  Christopher  P.  Farley  and  Mary  Shenvin,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Apr.    i,  James  Worcester  and  Mary  Lawrence,                 "          " 

"  "     22,  Ebenezer  Duncklee  of  Amherst  and  Salome  Wright  of  Hollis. 

"  June    2,  Stephen  Lund,  Jun.,  of  Merrimack  and  Mary  Hadley  of  Hollis. 

"  July  18,  Barnabas  Sanders  and  Sophia  Bush,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Oct.  17,  William  Youngman  and  Martha  Mooar,  "          " 

"  Nov.   i,  Amos  Wheeler  and  Mary  Hideout,            "          '• 

"  "      17,  Thomas  Hamlet  and  Anna  Rideout,         "          " 

"  "     23,  Amos  Foster  of  Tewksbury  and  Rhoda  Foster  of  Hollis. 

"  Dec.  28,  Timothy  Wyman  of  Hillsborough  and  Abigail  Dow  of  Hollis. 

"  "      28,  James  Parker  and  Betsey  Wright,  both  of  Hollis. 

1814,  Mar.   2,  Daniel  Campbell  of  Townsend  and  Susan  Colburn  of  Hollig. 
"  Apr.   4,  Jonathan  Stevens  and  Abigail  Foster,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Apr.  18,  William  Emerson  and  Sarah  Jewell,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  May     i,  Jacob  McGilvrey  ol  Medford  and  Betsey  Brown  of  Hollis. 

"  June  _2,  Jonathan  Mclntire  of  Wilton  and  Sibbel  Reed  of  Hollis. 

"  "       6,  Jacob  Blanchard  of  Dunstable  and  Mary  Hazelton  of  Hollis. 

"  "      12,  Jonathan  Hale  and  Lydia  Lawrence,  both  of  Hollife. 

"  "      38,  Kendall  Cheney  of  Dunstable  and  Martha  Blood  of  Hollis. 

"  July   31,  Benjamin    Smith    and   Nancy    Jewett,    both   of  Hollis. 

"  Sept.  6,  Thomas  W.  Stearns  and  Sally  Nevins,          "            " 

"  "      22,  Daniel  Mooar,  Jun.,  and  Mary  K.  Wheat,    "             " 

"  Oct.    10,  John  Shipley  and  Wid.  Susannah  Lovejoy,  " 

"  Nov.  10,  Benjamin  Farley,  5th,  and  Rachel  Foster,    "             "• 

"  "      24,  Nathaniel  Paul  and  Elizabeth  Lamson,         " 

"  "     28,  Levi  Kemp  and  Lydia  Hobart, 

"  Dec.     i,  Thomas  Mooar  of  Dunstable  and  Lydia  Patch  of  llullii-  . 

"  "      27,  Crista  Duncan  of  Hancock  and  Lois  Dow  of  Hollis. 

"  "      27,  Samuel  Smith  of  Brookline  and  Sally  Dow  of  Hollis. 

1815,  Apr.  13,  William  Brown,  Jun.,  and  Hannah  Farley,  both  of  Hollis. 
"  "      13,  Abijah  Shed  and  Sophia  Blood,                                          " 

"  June    8,  Daniel  Blood  and  Wid.  Rebecca  Chamberlain."            " 

"  Dec.  28,  Levi  Pierce  and  Esther  Adams,                            "            " 

1816,  Feb.  22,  William  Willoughby  and  Mary  A.  Powers,       "  " 

"  Mar.  18,  Washington   Willoughby   and   Lucy  Saunderson,  both  of  Holli*. 

"  Apr.   15,  Lemuel  Snow  of  Worcester,  Mass.,  and  Abigail  Worcester  of  Holli*. 

"  '"       15,  John  Gutterson,  Jun.,  of  Milford  and  Martha  Sawtell  of  Hollis. 

"  "      18,  James  Hardy  and  Mary  Smith,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  "      18,  Jeremiah  K.  Needham  of  Milford  and  Olive  Parker  of  Hollis. 

"  "       18,  Jeremiah  Preston  of  Mason  and  Anna  Proctor  of  Hollis. 

"  June    6,  Eleazer  Pierce   and   Betsey   Proctor,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  July    '4>  Mather  Withington  aud  Nancy  Gilson,     "            " 

"  Sept.   7,  Thomas  Davis  and  Deborah  Hobart,         "            " 

"  Oct.    17,  Jonathan  Foster  and  Leefy  French,            "            " 

"  Nov.  ia,  Jonathan   T.  Wright   and   Elizabeth  Colburn,  both   ot  Hollit. 

(24) 


354  MARRIAGES    IN    CHRONOLOGICAL    ORDER. 

1816,  Nov.    14,     Oliver  Stearns  of  Milford  and  Mary  Willoughby  of  Hollis. 

"v  "      14,     Christopher  Farley  and  Constantina  Cumings,  both  of  Hollis. 

-1817,  Mar.  13,    Nathaniel  Dow  and  Mary  Ames,  "  " 

"          "      13,    John  Armstrong  and  Rebecca  Hobart,  "  " 

•"  Apr.  10,    Andrew  Shattuck  of  Dunstable  and  Phebe  Jewett  of  Hollis. 

"          "      23,    James  Wheeler  and  Dorcas  Mooar,  both  of  Hollis. 

'"  May    6,    Loammi  Spaulding  of  Temple  and  Esther  Wright  of  Hollis. 

"  July   10,     Amos  Shattuck  and  Mary  Ball,  both  of  Hollis. 

'"  Aug.  4,     Paul  Davis  of  Mason  and  Martha  Shed  of  Hollis. 

"          "       5,     Ebenezer  Shed   and   Elizabeth    Duncklee,   both  of   Hollis. 

41  Sept.  16,     Ebenezer  Farley,  3d,  and  Leafy  Duncklee,  "  " 

41  Nov.    9,    Dr.  Noah  Hardy  and  Betsey  Farley,  "  "  - 

4<  Nov.  18,     Isaac  Butterfield  of  Brookline  and  Abigail  Pierce  of  Hollis. 

'"          "      20,    Jonathan  Lovejoy  of  Milford  and  Sarah  Willoby  of  Hollis. 

•"          "     23,     Amos  Hardy  and  Mary  Cumings,  both  of  Hollis. 

•"  Dec.  23,     Ebenezer  Blood  and  Betsey  Abbott,     "  " 

"          "     25,     Daniel  Walker  of  Marlborough,  Mass.,  and  Mary  Hayden  of  Holli». 

1818,  Jan.      i,     Daniel  Dow  and  Charlotte  Farley,  both  of  Hollis. 
"  Feb.    5,     Asa  Jaquith  and  Esther  Phelps,  "  " 

"  "      26,    Jeremiah  Dow  and  Sarah  Eastman,      " 

•"  Mar.    6,    John  P.  Gilson  ot  Dunstable  and  Rebecca  Spaulding  of  Hollis. 

•"  Apr.     2,    Capt.   Daniel   Bailey   and    Wid.    Mary  Lawrence,   both   of  Hollis. 

•*'          "      24,     William  Brown,  3d,  and  Hannah  Boynton, 

*'  Aug.  14,     Ralph  E.  Tenney  and  Phebe  C.  Smith,  "  " 

•*'  Oct.      i,     Benjamin  Farley,  4th,  and  Mehitable  Blood, 

41  "      29,     Benjamin  Wright  and  Wid.  Emma  Bradley, 

•"  Nov.  22,     Benjamin  Carter  of  Wilmington  and  Mary  Farley  of  Hollis. 

41  Dec.  29,     Moses  Kendall  of  Tyngsborough  and  Mindwell  Reed  of  Hollis. 

41          "      31,    Joseph  Patch  and  Sally  Johnson,  both  of  Hollis. 

1819,  Apr.    :,_  .  Moses  Boynton,  Jun.,  and  Emma  Lawrence,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Sept.  30,  Francis  E.  Fuller  of  Hardwick,  Vt.,  and  Martha  Worcester  of  Hollis. 

"  Nov.  19,  Jesse  Hardy  and  Eliza  Mooar,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  "     25,  Amos  B.  Minot  of  Westmister,  Mass.,  and  Mary  Hardy  of  Hollis. 

"  Dec.     2,  Isaac   French,  Jun.,  and   Rebecca  Bush,  both   of  Hollis. 

1820,  June     8,  Leonard  Bailey  and  Mary  French, 
"  "       S,  Gardner  Mooar  and  Mary  Hardy, 

"       Nov.    5,    Jonas  Lawrence  and  Fanny  Lawrence, 
"          "       9,     Minot  Farley  and  Zeraiah  Phelps, 

1821,  Jan.     4,     Freedom  French  and  Sarah  Mooar, 

"  "      25,  Thomas  W.  Hardy  and  Mehitable  Blood,                         " 

"  "      30,  Benjamin  Farley,  Esq.,  and  Wid.  Susannah  Smith,  both  of  Holtls. 

"  Feb.  22,  Joseph  Rideout,  Jun.,  and  Sukey  Ranger, 

•"  Mar.  15,  Dea.  Stephen  Thurston  of  Bedford  and  Sarah  Burge  of  Hollis. 

"  June  26,  Asa  Beverly  of  Amherst  and  Roxana  Lovejoy  of  Hollis. 

41  July     4,  Amos  Eastman  and  Wid.  Lydia  Mooar,  both  of  Hollis. 

-"  Aug.  12,  Jeremiah  Bullard  of  Rindge  and  Priscilla  Reed  of  Hollis. 

•"  "      19,  Samuel  L.  Hardy  and  Roxana  Duncklee,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Oct.    18,  Jonathan  P.  Woods  and  Lucinda  Baker,            " 

4<  "        21,  Royal  Woods  and  Catharine  Lovejoy, 

"  Nov.  27,  Joel  Barker  of  Milford  and  Wid.  Catharine  Lovejoy  of  Hollis. 

1822,  Jan.     2,  Daniel  Greenwood  of  Dublin  and  Rebecca  Hardy  of  Hollis. 
"  "     »2,  Daniel  Holt  of  Milford  and  Olive  Proctor  of  Hollis. 

"       Feb.  24,     Phineas  Cumings  and  Lucinda  Lovejoy,  both  of  Hollis. 

1823,  Apr.  21,     Luther  Wright  and  Hannah  I, ill  is, 

"  May    i,  Calvin  Willoughby  and  Lucinda  Wheeler,     " 

"  "     17,  Louis  Cochran  of  Andover  and   Mary  Abbott  of  Hollis. 

"  May  32,  Stephen  Lovejoy,  Jun.,  and  Lucy  Hobart,  both  of  HollU. 

•"  June   8,  Ebetiazer  Beard  of  Boston  and  Anna  Patch  of  Hollis. 


MARRIAGES    IN    CHRONOLOGICAL    ORDER.  35^ 

1823,    Oct.  30,    Joel  Hardy  and  Eliza  Johnson,  both  of  Hollis. 
1834,     Feb.    4,     Benjamin  Wheeler  and  Rhoda  Rideout,  both  of  Hollis. 
"       Mar.  23,    Abel  Ball  and  Sally  French,  "          « 

"       Apr.  39,     Noah  Farley  and  Rulh  Lawrence,  "          " 

1     39i     William  Kittredge  of  Harvard  and  Lucy  Saunderson  of  Hollis. 
"       May  13,     Samuel  Colburn  of  Groton  and  Sarah  Woods  of  Hollis. 

"    3°>     Benjamin  Austin,  Jun.,  and  Hannah  Pierce,  both  of  Hollis. 
July  n,    Jefferson  Rockwood  and  Sarah  Lovejoy,  "          " 

"       Oct.  18,     William  S.  Bradbury  and  Elizabeth  Emerson,   "          " 
"          "     23,     Leonard  Blood  of  Hollis  and  Hannah  Hale  of  Dunstable,  N.  H. 
"       Dec.    8,    Timothy  Patch  and  Hannah  Burns,  both  of  Hollis. 
"          "     28,     Ebenezer  White  of  Boston  and  Susan  Hale  of  Hollis. 
1825,    Jan.    5,    John  Minot  of  Westminster,  Mass.,  and  Wid.  Mary  Minot  of  Hollis. 
"       Mar.  37,    Nathan  Thayer,  Esq.,  and  Mary  Jewett,  both  oi  Hollis. 
"       Apr.   5,     Benoni  G.  Cutter  and  Lucy  Pool,  "          " 

"       May     i,    Joel  Parker  and  Eliza  Crawford,  "          " 

"          "      36,    Daniel  Lawrence  of  Hollis  and  Sarah  Fletcher  of  Peppere  11. 
"       Oct.  ii,     Francis  E.  Fuller  of  Hardwick,  Vt.,  and  Hannah  Worcester  ot  Hollis. 
"          "     18,    Andrew  Dean  of  Dunstable  and  Sarah  Hale  ot  Hollis. 
"       Nov.  17,    Abel  Farley  and  Elizabeth  Farley,  both  of  Hollis. 

"     34,     Samuel  Q_uaid  and  Sarah  Boynton,        "          " 

"  "     35,    Jonathan  Cragin  of  Claremont  and  Mary  Wright,  3d,  of  Hollis. 

"       Dec.  14,     Ralph  W.  Jewett  and  Betsey  Farley,  both  of  Hollis. 
"  "     16,    Willard  Blood  of  Dunstable  and  Sally  Blood  of  Hollis. 

"          "     27,     Alvin  Shed  of  New  Ipswich  and  Laurinda  Smith  of  Hollis. 

1826,  Jan.  19,     Dea.  Stephen  Thurston  of  Bedford  and  Hannah  Worcester  ot  Hollis. 
"       Feb.  14,     Washington  Willoughby  and  Elizabeth  Wheeler,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  June  28,  Gilbert  Brooks  of  Medford  and  Martha  Burge  of  Hollis. 

"  "     29,  Silas  Hardy  of  Westminster,  Vt.,  and  Abigail  Hardy  of  Hollis. 

"  Sept.36,  Ebenezer  Sargent  of  Henrietta,  N.  Y.,  and  Mary  Wright  of  Hollis. 

"  Xov.  12,  George  Sherburne  and  Susannah  Runnells,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  "     15,  Ichabod  W.  Saunderson  and  Hannah  Ball,           "           " 

"  Dec.  26,,  John  N.Worcester  and  Sarah  Holden,                  "           " 

1827,  Feb.  13,  Timothy  Hodgman  and  Charlotte  Willoughby, "          " 

"  Mar.    8,  Oliver  Conroy  of  Hollis  and  Miranda  Fisk  of  Dunstable. 

"  "      16,  Eleazer  T.  Merrill  and  Susan  Brown,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  July   13,  James  Parker  and  Susan  Woods,                "            " 

"  "       "  Leonard  Charm  of  Groton,  Mass.,  and  Mary  Wright  of  Hollis. 

"  Nov.  16,  William  Conant  and  Sarah  Hale,  both  of  Hollis; 

"  "      19,  Calvin  Wright  of  Hollis  and  Eunice  Shattuck  of  Dunstable. 

"  Dec.     4,  William  Gilbert  of  Francestown  and  Mary  Ranger  of  Hollis. 

1828,  Apr.     S,  Henry  Woods  of  Groton,  Mass.,  and  Hann;ih  M.  Thayer  of  Hollis. 
"  "       17,  John  Parker  and  Mary  Ann  Gould,  both  of  Hollis. 

May  ii,  John  L.  Rix  of  Haverhill,  N.  H.,  and  Elizabeth  Hale  of  Hollis. 

"  "  26,  Alpheus  Eastman  of  Hollis  and  Sally  Williams  of  Warwick,  Mass. 

"  June  5,  David  Hoyt  of  Charlestown,  Mass.,  and  Sarah  N.  Pool  of  Hollis. 

"  Oct.  9,  Rev.  Darwin  Adams  of  Camden,  Me.,  and  CatharineN.  Smith  of  Hollis. 

"  "  28,  Hiram   Wood   and   Annis    S.   Jewett,   both   of  Hollis. 

"  Dec.  30,  Ebenezer  Runnells  and  Wid.  Lydia  Hale,    "            " 

1829,  Jan.  19,  Charles  Gilson  of  Pepperell  and  Mary  Colburn  of  Hollis. 

"  Apr.    7,  Asahel  Reed  of  Merrimack  and  Pnscilla  R.  French  of  Hollis. 

"  "       9,  Obadiah  T.  Eaton  of  New  Ipswich  and  Clarissa  Farley  of  Hollis. 

••  "       9,  Leonard  Shipley  of  Dunstable  and  Sibbel  Spalding  of  Hollis. 

"  Aug.  10,  John  B.  Hill  of  Exeter,  Me.,  and  Achsah  Parker  of  Hollis. 

"  "      13,  Alpheus  Rideout  and  Lydia  S.  Powers,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  "      13,  Mark  Webster  of  Lowell,  Mass.,  and  Eunice  Wright  of  Hollis. 

"  Nov.  24,  Capt.  Leonard  Blood  and  Lucy  Dow,  both  of  Hollis. 

1830,  Feb.     2,  Leonard  Rideout  and  Wid.  Mary  Davis,  " 


356 


MARRIAGES    IN    CHRONOLOGICAL    ORDER. 


1830,     Feb.  10,     Rev.  Noah  Emerson  of  Baldwin,  Me.,  and  Ama  Smith  of  Hollis. 

"          "     22,     Luther   Hardy  and   Hannah   W.   Sawtell,   both  of  Hollis. 
»      -"       Apr.  13,     Elias  Colburn  and  Thankful  Rideout,  "  " 

•"          ".     13,     Mark  Dow  and  Charlotte  Blood,  "  " 

"       Dec.  21,     Daniel  Wyman  of  Hillsborough  and  Louisa  Mooar  of  Hollis. 

3831 ,     Mar.  16,     Abijah  Fletcher  of  Westford  and  Louisa  Lawrence  of  Hollis. 
"          "      31,     Ebenezer  Baldwin  and  Rebecca  Bailey,  both  of  Hollis. 
"          "       "       Winslow  Reed  and  Mary  Pierce.  "  " 

"        Apr.    5,     Timothy  U.  Patch  and  Mary  Proctor,  "  " 

"  May  17,     Ira  Beaman  of  Westminster,  Mass.,  and  Kezia  Colburn  of  Hollis. 
•"          "     31,     Franklin  Abbott  of  Milford  and  Indiana  Proctor  of  Hollis. 

"  June     9,     Sullivan  Howard  of  Mason  and  Elizabeth  B.  Little  of  Hollis. 

"  Aug.   4,     Douglas  K.  Patterson  of  Amherst  and  Dolly  Ann  Wood  of  Hollis. 
."       Sept.  22,    Asa   Farley  and   Sibbel   C.   Holt,   both   of   Hollis. 

*'  Oct.     3,     Francis  Jewett  and  Louisa  Rideout,         "  " 

"  Nov.  17,     Silas  Spalding  and  Luciuda  Wood,          "  " 

"          "      24,     David  W.  Sawtell  and  Sarah  P.  Farley,  "  " 

"  Dec.  22,    David  Woods  of  Hancock  and  Esther  Wheeler  of  Hollis. 
"          "      22,     William  Bowers  of  Dunstable  and  Mary  Ann  Hubbard  of  Hollis. 

1:833,  Jan.    19,     Daniel  Shattuck  and  Mary  Ann  Shattuck,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Feb.  27,     Bradley  Colburn  and  Naomi  Boynton,  "  " 

"  Mar.  19,    Jesse  Templeton  and  Sarah  Foster,  "  " 

"  Apr.    5,     Nathaniel  Hobart  and  Hannah  Colburn,  "  " 

•"  May  17,    Daniel  Abbott  of  Dracut,  Mass.,  and  Elsie  Marshall  of  Hollis. 

"  Nov.  28,     Nathaniel  Hardy  and  Hannah  E.  Parker,  both  of  Hollis. 

1833,  Mar.    3,    John  II.  Cutter  and  Susah  F.  Pool,  "  " 
"           "      21,     Daniel  Farley  and  Polly  Farley,                          "  " 
"  Apr.     2,    Jacob  D.  Austin  and  Lucy  S.  Wright,               "  " 

"  "        9,     William  Wheeler  of  Milford  and  Nancy  C.  M.  Little  of  Hollis. 

"  "      25,     Moses    Proctor   and    Indiana   Dow,   both    of  Hollis. 

"  May  22,    Joseph  Ober  and  Rhoda  C.  Colburn,  "  " 

"  June  26,     Nathaniel  F.  How  and  Almira  Rideout,      "  " 

"  Aug.  27,    Ambrose   H.   Wood   and   Mary  Ann  Colburn,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Oct.   24,    Jonathan  W.  Lovejoy  and  Elizabeth  Colburn,  "  " 

1834,  Feb.  20,    John  L.  Pool  and  Mary  Boynton,  "  " 
"  Apr.    8,     Ezekiel  M.  Bradley  and  Lydia  Dow,                             " 

"  May   n,     George  W.  Hubbard  of  Pepperell  and  Emma  Burge  of  Hollis. 

"  "      29,     Mark  W.  Merrill  of  Dunstable  and  Catharine  Hale  of  Hollis. 

41  June     i,'    Daniel  Edgerly  of  Sanbornton,  and  Mary  H.  Stevens  oi  Hollis. 

"  Aug.  25,     Mark  Farley  and  Mary  S.  Crosby,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Oct.     5,     Isaac  Jewett  of  Nashville,  Tenn.,  and  Lydia  C.  Colburn  of  Hollis. 

"          "     30,     Luke  Hale  and  Mary  Morrison,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Nov.    6,     Benjamin  G.  Searles  of  Rowley,  Mass.,  and  Phebe  C.  Cutter  of  Hollis. 

"          "      16,    Joel   Blood   and   Rachel   Lund,  both  of  Hollis. 

"          "      27,     Charles  F".  Hall  and  Martha  Willoby,   "        " 

1835,  Jan.     4,     George  Worcester  of  Hudson  and  Wid.  Rachel  Colburn  of  Hollis. 
"  Feb.  26,     Luke  Putnam  of  Dunstable,  N.  H.,  and  Rebecca  J.  Hale  oi  Hollis. 
"  Mar.    5,     En  Spalding  of  Chelmsford,  Mass.,  and  Ahara  Spalding  of  Hollis. 
"  Apr.  12,     William  Adams  and  Sarah  Ann  Adams,  both  of  Hollis. 

"          "      19,     Ebenezer  Ranger  and  Maria  Tozer,  "  " 

"          "      29,    Charles  Walker  of  New  Ipswich  and  Hannah  Walker  of  Hollis. 

"  May    7,     Alfred  Knight  of  Lancaster  and  Mary  Butter-field  of  Hollis. 

"          "      21,     Mark  Mooar  and  Charlotte  Wright,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  June  23,     Silas  French  and  Esther  Saunderson,     "  "    ' 

"  Nov.  24,    James  Burgess  of  Dunstable,  N.  H.,  and  Caroline  Holden  of  Hollis. 

"  "      24,     Stillman  Spaulding  and  Ann  Holden,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Dec.    3,     Daniel  Livingston  of  Lowell  and  Sophronia  Lund  of  Hollis. 

1836,  Jan.    iS,     Artemas  Hale  and  Mary  Ann  Wheat,  both  of  Hollis. 


MARRIAGES    IN    CHRONOLOGICAL    ORDER. 


357 


>:S36, 


'837, 


Mar.  31, 
June  2, 
July  l, 
Oct.  13, 

Nov.  10, 
Dec.  12. 

"      28, 

Apr.    6. 

6, 

June  7, 
Aug.  31, 
Sept.  21, 
Oct.  4, 

"      12, 

Nov.    7, 


1838, 

Mar. 

'9. 

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Apr. 

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« 

« 

36, 

" 

June 

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*' 

July 

7» 

••• 

" 

8, 

" 

" 

19. 

" 

Nov. 

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" 

" 

32, 

'839, 

Mar. 

7, 

" 

Apr. 

2, 

" 

Aug. 

I, 

" 

Oct. 

7» 

" 

" 

30. 

1840, 

Jan. 

H, 

" 

May 

;  -. 

" 

Sept. 

16, 

" 

Oct. 

8, 

" 

" 

8, 

" 

" 

iS, 

" 

Nov. 

'9, 

1841, 

Mar. 

18, 

1842, 

Aug. 

18, 

"       Sept.  15, 

" 

" 

'.v 

'843, 

Jan. 

3'. 

" 

Mar. 

'.V 

" 

Apr. 

4> 

" 

May 

9<~ 

" 

" 

ID, 

" 

June 

«9. 

" 

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" 

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Dec. 

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12, 

1844, 

Feb. 

6, 

" 

" 

22, 

« 

June 

'3. 

Joseph  D.  Parker  and  Lucretia  Smith,  both  of  Hollis. 

Varnum  Wheeler  and  Mary  Wood,  " 

Gaius  Wright,  Jun.,  and  Naomi  Parker,  " 

Elbridge  Livingston  of  Lowell  and  Irene  Lund  of  Hollis. 

Christopher  F.  Smith  and  Rachel  R.  Farley,  both  of  Hollis. 

Joseph  Brown  of  Chester  and  Wid.  Patty  Patch  of  Hollis. 

Charles  G.   Clapp   of  Northampton,   Mass.,  and   Sarah   Lawrence   of 
Hollis. 

George  W.  Parker  and  Mary  Woods,  both  of  Hollis. 

Thomas  Lund  of  Hollis  and  Bridget  French  of  Nashua. 

Warner  Read  and  Louisa  Wright,  both  of  Hollis. 
John  Farley  and  Hannah  Blood,  " 

Alfred  Farley  and  Lydia  Farley,  "  " 

William  Parker  of  Pepperell  and  Martha  Patch  of  Hollis. 

William  Flagg  of  West  Boylston  and  Louisa  Hardy  of  Hollis. 

Rev.  Dudley  Phelps  of  Groton  and  Lucretia  G.  Farley  of  Hollis. 

Enoch  Jcwett  and  Wid.  Sarah  Willoby,  both  of  Hollis. 

Jonas  W.  Jaquith  and  Mary  J.  Austin, 

Freeman  Wallace  of  Bethel,  Vt.,  and  Jane  Farley  of  Hollis. 

Eri  McDaniells  of  Brookline  and  Ann  Farley  of  Hollis. 

Isaac  R.  Lawrence  and  Marinda  Wheeler,  both  of  Hollis. 
James  Farley,  Jun.,  and  Martha  T.  Mooar,        " 

Capt.  Josiah  Blood  and  Wid.  Dorcas  Spaulding,  both  of  Hollis. 

Rev.  Joseph  Warren  and  Lydia  Dale, 

Ethan  Willoughby  of  Hollis  and  Julia  Marshall  of  Hudson. 
Amos  Wheeler  of  Nashua  and  Rebecca  Wheeler  of  Hollis. 
Samuel  Bancroft  of  Pepperell  and  Hannah  E.  Hardy  of  Hollis. 
Abial  Steele  of  Milledgeville,  Ga.,  and  Betsey  Hardy   "        " 
Moses  Proctor  of  Boston  and  Elizabeth  Conant  of  Hollis. 
Harvey  A.  Powers  of  Pepperell  and  Sarah  Colburn  of  Hollis. 
Charles  L.  Colburn  and  Emeline  Wright,  both  of  Hollis. 
Cyrus  Whitcomb  of  Fitchburg  and  Esther  Ann  Nichols  of  Hollis. 

Eli  Spalding  of  Pepperell  and  Harriet  Eastman  of  Hollis. 

David  J.  Wright  and  Sarah  J.  Colburn,  both  of  Hollis. 
Theodore  Wheeler,  Jun.,  and  Charlotte  Wetherbee,  both  of  Hollis 
Jacob  Spalding  and  Jane  Ranger,  " 

Charles  A.  Wood  of  Hollis  and  Hannah  A.  Washer  of  Nashua. 
Josiah  Hayden  and  Submit  Swallow,  both  of  Hollis. 

Leonard  Swan  of  Nashua  and  Sabrina  Hale  of  Hollis. 
Phineas  Hardy  and  Wid.  Rebecca  C.  Hardy,  both  of  Hollis. 

Reuben  Hardy  ol  Hollis  and  Abigail  Stearns  of  Merrimack. 

Benjamin  N.  Stearns  anxl  Susan  E.  Colburn.  both  of  Hollis. 

Ezra  Shed  and  Lydia  Reed, 

William  A.  Colburn  of  Hollis  and  Mary  Hardy  of  Hudson. 

Jefferson  Farley  and  Charlotte  M.  Farley,  both  of  Hollis. 

Charles  B.  Fletcher  of  Lyndon,  Vt.,  and  Lucy  F.  Farley  of  Hollis. 

Daniel  D.  F.  Johnson  and  Fidelia  Kemp,  both  of  Hollis. 

William  Hardy  of  Salem,  Mass.,  and  Ann  M.  Richardson  of  Hollis. 

Daniel  M.  Smith  ol  Hollis  and  Hannah  Newton  of  Nashua. 

Nathan  Willoughby  and  Elizabeth  A.  Marshall,  both  of  Hollis. 

Charles  O.  \Vood  and  Luella  P.  Hardy,  "  " 

Leonard  Lyon  of  Cambridge,  Mass.,  and  Mary  D.  Farley  of  Hollis. 

Reuben  F.  Foster  of  Concord,  N.  H.,  and  Sarah  E.  Ames  "        " 

Horace  Field  and  Sarah  E.  Farley,  both  of  Hollis. 

Silas  S.  Wheeler  and  Irene  Wyman,     "  " 

Andrew  J.  Spalding  and  Mary  Ann  Wheeler,  both  of  Hollis. 

John  Coburn  and  Wid.  Naomi  Colburn,  " 

John  C.  Bell  and  Sarah  A.  Dow,  both  of  Hollis. 


358  MARRIAGES    IN    CHRONOLOGICAL   ORDER.] 

1844,  Nov.  13,    Edward  Emerson  of  Hollis  and  Hannah  Cumings  Pierce  of  Boston. 
41  "     19,    Benjamin  G.  Searles  and  Almira  Butterfield,  both  of  Hollis. 

1845,  Jan-      J>    John  Hardy  and  Hannah  Farley,  •    "            " 

"  '•      29,     Rufus  N.  Wallingford  of  Milford  and  Susan  Farley  of  Hollis. 

"  "      39,    Nathaniel  G.  Fernald  of  Lowell  and  Harriet  Farley  of  Hollis. 

"  Mar.    6,     Luther  Proctor  of  Hollis  and  Frances  P.  Wallace  of  Pepperell. 

"  Apr.    8,     George  Bancroft  of  Boston  and  Sarah  G.  Farley  of  Hollis. 

"  "     16,    Adolphus  Stevens  of  Pepperell  and  Nancy  J.  Wallace  of  Hollis. 

"  Aug.   5,     William  S.  Young  of  Fitchburg  and  Sarah  A.  Wright  of  Holli*. 

"  Oct.  16,    Caleb  Brown  of  Nashua  and  Mary  Ann  Reed  of  Hollis. 

"  "      16,    James  S.  Rideout  and  Harriet  M.  Hartshorn,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  "     21,    James  Little  and  Emeline  Colburn,                        "           " 

"  Dec.    4,     Charles  Hale  and  Nancy  Ranger,                           "            " 

"  "       9,     Benjamin  Whiting  and  Esther  S.  Wright,           "            " 

1846,  Jan.     i,     Mansfield  Senter  of  Nashua  and  Mary  Ann  Willoby  of  Hollis. 
"  Mar.  26,    Jonas  Blood  and  Wid.  Susannah  Wheeler,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  May  12,     Frederick  Blood  and  Mehitabel  Rideout,            "     " 

"  Sept.  24,    Charles  P.  Wood  and  Harriet  Mooar,                  "     " 

"  Nov.   5,    Ebenezer  T.  Wheeler  and  Mary  Ann  Blood,      "     " 

"  Nov.  16,     Benjamin  F.  Steele  of  Wilton  and  Rachel  Colburn  of  Holli4. 

1847,  Apr.  25,    Nehemiah  Woods  and  Mary  Ann  Woods,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  May    5,     William  P.  Saunderson  and  Hannah  C.  Marshall,  both  of  Hollib. 

"  "       6,     Ralph  J.  Holden  and  Eliza  Ann  Hardy,                            "          " 

"  Nov.  18,    James  Blood  and  Emeline  Wheeler,                                   "          " 

"  Dec.  21,     Simeon  A.  Spalding  of  Hollis  and  Catharine  P.  Sawtell  of  Brookline. 

"  "     23,    David  W.  Sawtell  and  Sarah  J.  Rideout,  both  of  Hollis. 

1848,  Feb.    i,     Minot  Wheeler  of  Hollis  and  Sarah  Ann  Hardy  of  Hudson. 
"  "     15,    John  C.  Foster  of  Milford  and  Sophia  P.  Farley  of  Hollis. 

"  Mar.    2,    Joseph  Gates  and  Susan  E.  Lovejoy,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Apr.   4,    Jacob  R.  Bagley  and  Dorcas  C.  Woods,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  "      5,     Oliver  L.  Dow  of  Hancock  and  Mary  Ann  Eastman  of  Hollis. 

"  "     11,    Thomas  S.  Patch  and  Lucy  A.  Newton,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  June    4,    James  W.  Wheeler  and  Kezia  A.  Wheeler,     "        " 

"  "     20,    Nathan  M.  Ames  and  Asenath  Hardy,            "        " 

"  Nov.  30,     Dexter  Greenwood  and  Mary  Holden,              "        " 

"  Dec.  14,    John  B.  Perkins  and  Sophia  A.  Little,             "        " 

1850,  Jan.     i,     Samuel  W.  Fox  and  Abigail  A.  Lovejoy,  both  of  Hollis. 
"  July    4,     Benjamin  L.  Farley  and  Elizabeth  R.  Howe,    "          " 

1851,  Apr.  2,     George  Moore  and  Susan  M.  Butters,  "          " 

"  "      10,    James  Willoughby  of  Milford  and  Lucretia  L.  Wood  of  Hollis. 

"  July  15,     Rev.  Daniel  P.  Deming  and  Abby  A.  Hardy,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Oct.  29,    Asa  Jaquith  and  Lucy  French,                                     "          " 

"  Nov.  25,    Charles  Marsh  of  Bethel,  Vt.,  and  Susan  E.  Farley  of  Hollis. 

"  Dec.  17,    Joseph  E.  Smith   of  Hollis  and  Charlotte  Richardson  of  Pembroke. 

1852,  May  13,    Enoch  J.  Colburn  of  Hollis  and  Elmira  Steele  of  Wilton. 
"  June    3,     Oliver  Wrilloby  of  Hollis  and  Fanny  Nichols  of  Amherst. 
"  July  27,    Thomas  Proctor,  Jun.,  and  Susan  R.  Pool,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Oct.  20,    Stephen  T.  Ellis  of  Walden,  Vt.  and  Elizabeth  N.  B.  Colburn  of  Holli 

"  "     26,     Luke  M.  Blood  and  Josephine  E.  Woods,  both  of_ Hollis. 

"  Ebenezer  Ranger  and  Sarah  Ball,                        "          " 

1853,  Feb.  15,     Grant  P.  Saunderson  and  Harriet  Blood,  both  of  Hollis. 

•"  "     24,    Augustus  R.  Lovejoy  of  Hollis  and  Jane  M.  Boutwell  of  Antrim. 

"  Mar.  14,     Rodney  J.  Hardy  of  Boston  and  Sarah  E.  Tenney  of  Hollis. 

"  June    2,    Alfred  M.  Hardy  of  Hollis  and  Elizabeth  J.  Sweet  of  Lowell. 

"  Aug.  7,    Addison  E.  Winch  of  Westminster  and  Rosette  Rideout  of  Hollis. 

1854,  Feb.    2,    James  Farley,  3d,  of  Hollis  and  Mrs.  Abby  Taylor  of  Nashua. 
"  "       9,     Benjamin  W.  Rideout  and  Susan  Ranger,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Mar.  12,     Ichabod  F.  Lund  of  Hollis  and  Emily  A.  Corliss  of  Nashua. 


MARRIAGES    IN    CHRONOLOGICAL   ORDER.  359 

1855,  Apr.  n,    Truman  Hurd  of  Nashua  and  Emeline  Rideout  of  Hollis. 

"          "     ii,     Noah  Dow  and  Mary  J.  Patch,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Sept.  5,    Thomas  Lund  and  Betsey  Blood,      •"          " 

"  Oct.    3,     Luther  Cheney  of  Nashua  and  Lydia  C.  Winn  of  Hollis. 

1855,  Mar.  31,    John  R.  Parker  of  Hollis  and  Cornelia  M.  Sawyer  of  Merrimack. 

"  Apr.    5,    Perry  M.  Farley  and  Sarah  Farley,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  June  aS,    Samuel  K.  Rich  of  Boston  and  Frances  A.  Spaulding  of  Hollis. 

"  Sept.  13,    Jabez  A.  Sawyer  of  Roxbury  and  Sarah  C.  Worcester  of  Hollis. 

"  Dec.  13,     Hiram  G.  Felton  of  Amherst  and  Mrs.  Jane  Austin  of  Hollis. 

r8s6,  Jan.      i,     Harvey  N.  Willoby  of  Hollis  and  Mary  M.  Pease  of  Weston. 

"          "        i,     Abel  Spencer  of  Nashua  and  Melissa  Willoby  of  Hollis. 

"          "        3,    Albert  S.  Powers  of  Milford  and  Sophia  A.  Spalding  of  Hollis. 

"          "      35,     Isaac  Fletcher  of  Hollis  and  PhebeJ.  Draper  of  Lyndeborough. 

"  Mar.  37,     David   M.   Farley  and   Elvira  Wheeler,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Apr.  13,     Samuel  B.  Blood  and  Sarah  Wheeler,  "  " 

"  May    8,    Caleb  Farley  and  Sarah  M.  Patch,  "  " 

"  Dec.  30,    Josiah  Colburn  of  Hollis  and  Rebecca  Wood  of  Litchfield. 

1857,  Jan.      i,     Warren  K.  Lovejoy  and  Mary  A.  Wright,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Feb.    5,     Asa  Noyes  of  Danvers  and  Mrs.  Rebecca  C.  Hardy  of  Hollis. 
"          "      35,    Lev!  Abbot  and  Matilda  Abbot,  both  of  Hollis. 

1858,  Jan.    14,     Francis   Lovejoy  and   Ellen   M.   Hardy,  both  of  Hollis. 
"  Feb.     i,     Charles  Moses  of  New  York  and  Susan  Fox  of  Hollis. 

"  Mar.  n,     Nathaniel  Pierce  and  Hannah  M.  Wheeler,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Apr.    8,    James  T.  Willoby  of  Hollis  and  Cornelia  L.  Pierce  of  Brookline. 

"          "      39,    Charles  F.  Chase  of  Nashua  and  Susan  A.  Blood  of  Hollis. 

"  Nov.  34,    Josiah  Hayden  of  Hollis   and  Mahala  Millard. 

"  Sept.  9,     Mark  L.  Willoby  of  Hollis  and  Maria  A.  Wentworth  of  Chelmsford. 

"  Dec.     3,    Jeremiah  K.  Needham  of  Hollis  and  Elizabeth  H.Carlton  of  Merrimack 

"  Dec.    9,     Daniel   F.  Runnels   and   Sarah   E.   Farley,   both  of  Hollis. 

"          "        9,     Oliver  P.  Eastman  and  Lucy  A.  Hardy, 

"  "      37,     Charles  II.  Wright  and  Hattie  E.  Stratton,  "  " 

1859,  Apr.    5,     Milton  J.  Hardy  of  Decatur,  111.,  and  Susan  E.  Cutter  of  Hollis. 
"  June     2,    William  Hale,  Jun.,  and  Mehitable  G.  Blood,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  July     9,    Asa  B.  Eaton  of  Manchester,  and  Roanna  S.  Farley  of  Hollis. 

"  Nov.  24,     Stephen  W.  Moore  of  Nashua  and  Julia  Rideout  of  Hollis. 

1860,  Mar.     i,     Timothy  E.  Flngg  and  Susan  A.  Proctor,  both  of  Hollis. 

"       May   14,     Charles  Richardson  of  Marlborough  and  Rebecca  F.  Hardy  of  Hollis. 

"  "      25<    John   F.   Smith   and   Mrs.   Sarah   Smith,  both  of  Hollis. 

"       June  38,     Francis  Tubbs  and  Mrs.  Mary  F.  Lund,          " 

"       Nov.  39,    Albert  Shedd  and  Mary  A.  Farley, 

"          "      39,     William  H.  Gerrish  of  Boston  and  Eliza  RMVilloby  of  Hollis. 

1861,  Nov.  19,    Alpheus  Rideout  of  Hollis  and  Hannah  Russell  of  Lawrence. 
"       Dec.    5,    John  R.  Parker  and  Susan  H.  Farley,  both  of  Hollis. 

1863,     Apr.    7,     Henry  Smithwick  of  Hollis  and  Mary  A.  Smithwick  of  Nashua. 
"       May    6,     Silas  M.  Spalding  and   Louisa  D.  Bradley,  both  of  Hollis. 
"       Oct.     9,     William  F.  Spaulding  and  Mary  E.  Farley,        " 
"       Dec.   ii,     Dexter  L.  Blood  of  Hollis  and  Cornelia  A.  Lovejoy  of  Amherst. 

1863,  Feb.  38,    Albert  H.  Brooks  of  Townsend  and  Mary  J.  Hardy  of  Hollis. 
"       May  19,     Charles  P.  Ober  and  Louisa  W.  Hart,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  June  30,    Charles  S.  Spaulding  of  Hollis  and  Mercian  Barton  of  Lowell. 
"       Nov.  4,    Alfred  Boynton  of  Pepperell  and  Lucy  A.  Colburn  of  Hollis. 
"       Nov.  14,    John  H.  Pool  of  Boston  and  Ellen  L.  Runnells  of  Hollis. 

1864,  June   3,     Hale  Gage  and  Jane  E.  Patch,  both  of  Hollis. 

"       Oct.   ii,     E.  C.  Frost  of  Nashua  and  M.  ElizaVth  Hills  of  Hollis. 

1865,  Feb.    5,     Waldo  E.  Hill  and  Elvira  A.  Wood,  both  of  Hollis. 

"      June  10,     Benjamin  L.  Farley  of  Hollis  and  Persis  D.  Plumraer  of  Gnffstown. 
"       Sept  30,    Curtis  H.  Bill  of  Albany,  Vt.,  and  Mary  J.  Worcester  of  Hollis. 
"       Oct.  10,    Alfred  Farley  of  Hollis  and  Mary  W.  Eastman  of  Milford. 


360  MARRIAGES    IN    CHRONOLOGICAL    ORDER. 

18651  DCC-    7>     Russell  S.  Putnam  of  Maiden,  Mass.,  and  Sarah  T.  Colburn  of  Hollis- 

1866,  Jan.    7,    Charles  O.  Whittemore  of  Merrimack  and  Emma  H.  Hardy  of  Hollis. 
"  Apr.  24,     George  W.  Pierce  of  Brookline  and  Emma  A.  Wood  of  Hollis. 

"  Oct.  15,     Gustavus  S.  Moore  and  Harriet  Wright. 

"          "     20,    Frank  Dennis  and  Christene  E.  Davis. 

"          "     25,     Lyman  W.  Willoughby  and  Harriet  F.  Willoughby. 

"          "     25,     William  H.  Parsons  and  Susan  M.  Leach. 

"  Nov.  21,     Horace  Goodwin  of  Marblehead  and  Mary  S.  Wilkins  of  Hollis. 

1867,  Feb.   6,    Charles  S.  Runnells  and  Fidelia  A.  Wheeler,  both  of  Hollis. 
M          "       9,    Francis  M.  Lund  and  Eliza  J.  Wheeler,  "          " 

"  Mar.  31,     Perley  L.  Pierce  of  Brookline  and  Mary  Ann  Wood  of  Hollis.. 

"  April  2,    James  C.  Hildreth  and  Mary  S.  Colburn,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  July     3,    J.  H.  Bond  of  Waltham  and  Ella  J.  Proctor  of  Hollis. 

"  Oct.     2,     Augustus  B.  Wheeler  and  Ellen  Wheeler,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Nov.  28,     Henry  Moore  of and  Letitia  A.  Hardy  of  Hollis. 

"          "      28,     Francis  A.  Wood  and  Abbie  J.  Coburn,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Dec.     3,    George  H.  Messer  and  Sarah  E.  Whiting,      "          " 

1868,  Feb.  10,    John  A.  Coburn  of  Hollis  and  Mary  E.  Bills  of  Townsend. 
"  Mar.  30,     Edward  H.  Wood  and  Esther  Benson,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Oct.   27,     William  P.  Cutter  and  Clara  E.  Wright,        "         " 

"  Nov.  25,     Henry  G.  Hildreth  of  Newton,  Mass.,  and  Elizabeth  J.  Spalding  of  H,. 

"  Dec.    i,     Samuel  W.  Fletcher  of  Pepperell  and  Martha  Worcester  of  Hollis. 

1869,  Jan.  24,     William  E.  Fox  and  Eunice  T.  Ranger,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Mar.  n,     Clinton  Scoville  of  Conesville,  N.  Y.,  and  Lydia  Fields  of  Hollis. 

"          "     29,    Josiah  N.  Hayden  and  Clara  E.  Farley,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Apr.  20,     Alonzo  R.  Wilson  and  Eva  Shedd,  "  " 

"  May   19,     William  E.  Howe  of  Hollis  and  Hattie  G.  Lund  of  Miltord. 

"          "      27,     Abel  Colburn  and  Anna  L.  Heywood,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  June  24,     David  McKean  of  Amherst  and  Sarah  M.  Hodgeman  of  Hollis. 

"  July   :6,     Eugene  A.  Flagg  of  Worcester,  Mass.,  and  Katie  F.  Spaulding. 

"  Sept.  14,     Nathaniel  Whitefield   of  Francestown,    and    Mrs.  Laurindu  Fowler  of 

Hollis. 

"  Nov.  18,     William  Worcester  and  Nellie  H.  Read,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Dec.     3,     Charles  A.  Lovejoy  and  Ellen  H.  Day,  both  of  Hollis. 
«'          "  Isaac  W.  Pierce  of  Pepperell  and  Lucy  A.  Blood  of  Hollis. 

1870,  Jan.     6,     William  H.Jordan  of  Gloucester,  Mass.,  and  Harriet  E.  Worcester  of 

Hollis. 

"  «      20,     Samuel  A.  Worcester  and  Lizzie  B.  Day,  both  of  Hollis. 

14  Apr.  14,     Albert  Wheeler  of  Hollis,  and  AdeliaS.  Hubbard  of  Nashua. 

"  May  28,    James  E.  Hills  and  Sarah  F.  Fletcher,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Nov.  15,     George  M.  Bradley  of  Hollis  and  Maria  L.  Colburn  of  Hudson. 

•  <          "      24,    AmA  Fletcher  of  Hollis  and  Maria  R.  Lee  of  Nashua. 

"  Dec.    S,     Abert  J.   Farley   and   Etta  F.   Wheeler,  both  of  Hollis. 

"          "       S,     Henry  S.  Spaulding  and  Eva  J.  Wheeler,         "  " 

18711  May     7,     Levi  B.  Crane  of  New  Bedford  and  Julia  Willoughby  of  Hollis. 

"  June  14,     Norman  F.  Blood  of  Groton  and  Helen  A.  Smith  of  Hollis. 

"          "      15,     Isaac  F.  Fletcher  of  Lyndon,  Vt.,  and  Elizabeth  Merrill  of  Hollis. 

"  Aug.  13,    John  H.  Hardy  of  Hollis  and  Jennie  A.  Conant  of  Littleton,  Mass. 

"  Nov.  30,    Albert  P.  Shipley  of  Nashua  and  Miriam  B.  Truell  of  Hollis. 

1872,  Feb.    5,     David  S.  Draper  of  Lyndeborough  and  Cornelia  H.  Hall  of  Hollib. 

•<          "      28,    Charles  A.  Hale  of  Hollis  and  Emogene  Thomas  of  Hudson. 

<<          "      28,     George  Dow  of  Hollis  and  Levey  V.  Draper  of  Nashua. 

"  Apr.  29,     Albert  Lovejoy  of  Hollis  and  Charlotte  S.  Barrett  of  Nashua. 

"  Aug.   7,     Horace  Rideout  ahd  Ellen  N.  Rideout,  both  of  Hollis. 

"          "      31,    Edward  S.  Colburn,  ad,  of  Hollis  and  AbbyJ.  Barnaby. 

"  Sept.    4,     Robert  Morse  and  Grace  Burnham,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  .        "      18,     Albert  C.  Meady  of  Boston  and  Carrie  S.  Pearse  of  Hollis. 

"  Nov.  20,     Ramsay  C.  Boutwell  of  Hollis  and  Lucy  A.  Clark  of  Lyndeborough^ 


MARRIAGES    IN    CHRONOLOGICAL   ORDER.  361 

1873,  Feb.  13,  John  L.  Boynton  of  Pepperell  and  Josephine  L.  Fletcher  of  I  follis. 
"  June  26,  William  D.  Trow  and  Nellie  A.  Hale,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Aug.   5,  Nathan  F.  Abbott  of  Hartford,  Ct.,  and  Caroline  A.    Hills  of  Hollis. 

"  Sept.  22,  Alphonso  H.  Powers  of  Hollis  and  Frances  H.  Tufts  of  Litchfield. 

"  Oct.   29,  Ralph  E.  Tenney  and   Sallie  A.   Cutter,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Nov.  26,  Amos   N.  Truell   and  Clara  M.  Twiss,          "            " 

1874,  Mar.  18,  Samuel   R.  Merrill  and   Mary  L.   Smith,       "            " 
"  June    2,  Leonard  Butterfield  and  Rebecca  Noyes,          "            " 

"  July    14,  Wellington  A.  Hardy  of  New  York  and  Mary  C.  Cutter  of  Hollis. 

"  "      14,  William  B.  Whitney  of  Columbus,  Ind.,  and  Lucy  F.  Cutter  of  Hollis. 

"  "      20,  Stephen  J.  Smith  and  Mary  E.  Bradley,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Aug.  21,  Walker  H.  Blake  of  Hollis  and  Augusta  E.  Jones  of  Amherst. 

"  Sept.  24,  Henry  T.  Stimson  of  Boston  and  Nellie  M.  Woods   of  Hollis. 

"  Nov.  15,  Willard  E.  Wright  and  Nellie  B.  Gates,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Dec.  24,  Judson  J.  Willoughby  of  Hollis  and  Annie  C.  Shattuck  of  Pepperell. 

1875,  Jan.   21,  B.  F.  Swan  and  Frances  E.  Longley,  both  of  Hollis. 
"  Feb.  17,  Frank  E.  Nichols  and  Sarah  A.  Twiss,      "            " 

"  Mar.    8,  Charles  H.  Bills  of  Hollis  and  Lizzie  Mooar  of  Haverhill. 

"  "      n,  Theodore  Brown  of  Portland,  Me.,  and  Clara  A.  Spaulding  of  Hollis^ 

"  April  4,  Hiram  B.  Fletcher  of  Hollis  and  Cora  E.  Vaughan  of  Providence. 

"  "       8,  George  H.  Blood  and  H.  Augusta  Hills,  both   of  Hollis. 

"  "      20,  Elbridge  J.  Farley  and  Georgiana  Hall,       " 

"  June    2,  Charles  E.  Gates  of  Hollis  and  Adelia  A.  Peacock  of  Amherst. 

"  Aug.   3,  James  Moore  of  Nashua  and  Henrietta  L.  Hardy  of  Hollis. 

"  "      18,  George  H.  Lovejoy  and  Ella  F.  Lovejoy,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Sept.   9,  Henry  L.  Smith  of  Hollis  and  Fannie  E.  Frost  of  Arlington. 

"  "     29,  Charles  F.  Holmes  and  Nellie  M.  Bills,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Dec.  14,  Ralph  J.  Holden  and  Loinda  Colburn,           "           " 

1876,  Jan.     6,  Luman  C.  Drake  of  Framingham,  Mass.,  and  Annie  E.  Pierce  of  H., 
"  "     18,  James  W.  Woods  of  Hollis  and  Sarah  E.  Parker  of  Pepperell. 

"  "     20,  Lewis  G.  Woods  of  Hollis  and  Nellie  M.  Plummer  of  Goffstown. 

"  Feb.     2,  Edward  N.  Brown  of  Merrimack  and  Lizzie  M.  Holden  of  Hollis. 

"  "       2,  George  F.  Hale  of  Hollis  and  Addie  L.  Ruston  of  Cambridge. 

"  June  10,  Henry  Parker  of  Hollis  and  Sarah  Butterfield  of  Pelham. 

"  Aug.  25,  Thomas  T.  Hobart  of  Hollis  and  Fannie  Woods  of  Nashua. 

"  Nov.  29,  Charles  F  Adams  and  Sarah  M.  Pierce,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Dec.    8,  John  N.  W.  Spaulding  and  Hattie  M.  Wheeler,  both  of  Hollis. 

1877,  Jan.     i,  Milton  A.  Parker  and  Nellie  M.  Nichols, 

•'  '«     23,  Nathaniel  H.  Proctor  of  Hollis  and  Lizzie  S.  Billings  of  Acton. 

"  "     25;  John  B.  Calderwood  and  AbbieJ.  Cameron,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Feb.    3,  Frederick  M.  Hill  and  Ella  L.  Colburn,  both  of  Hollis. 

"  Apr.  28,  George  H.  Stearns  of  Hollis  and  Laurinda  E.  Corliss  of  Hudson. 

"  May  30,  Geo.  A.  Burge  of  Hollis  and  Anna  W.  Chickering  of  Somerville,  Mass. 

"  Sept.  3,  Albert  Kemp  of  Groton  and  Clara  M.  Truell  of  Hollis. 

"  Nov.  14,  George  A.  Newton  of  Hollis  and  Mary  L.  Swett  of  Brookline. 
(25) 


362  FAMILY    REGISTERS. 


CHAPTER    XXXIII. 

FAMILY     REGISTERS     FROM    1739    TO     J8oO,    COPIED     MAINLY     FROM 
THE    HOLLIS    RECORDS. 

The  following  lists  of  Family  Registers  have  been, carefully  com- 
piled, mainly  from  the  first  three  volumes  of  the  Hollis  records,  in 
which  they  were  originally  entered,  (without  order  or  method,)  for 
the  most  part  on  the  margin  of  the  pages  or  fractional  blank  leaves, 
from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  each  volume.  In  some  cases  a 
part  only  of  the  births  in  the  family  registers  here  presented  were 
recorded  at  all  in  these  three  volumes — the  rest  of  them,  in  the 
same  family  in  another  book,  known  as  the  "Record  or  Book  of 
Births."  In  such  cases  the  names  of  the  other  children,  not  found 
in  the  first  three  volumes,  have  been  copied  from  the  "  Book  of 
Births."  The  recorded  births  of  a  number  of  the  early  Hollis 
families  have  also  been  copied  from  the  original  records  of  the  old 
town  of  Monson,  and  a  few  others,  have  been  transcribed  from 
carefully  preserved  private  family  records. 

In  these  family  registers,  as  entered  on  the  Hollis  records,  only 
the  first  or  Christian  names  of  the  mothers  were  recorded,  not 
their  full  maiden  names.  In  these  lists,  such  family  names  of  the 
mothers  as  were  found  in  the  Hollis  records  of  marriages  have 
been  added  to  their  Christian  names.  The  full  maiden  names  of 
many  others  of  these  mothers,  not  found  in  the  records  of  marriages, 
are  also  embraced  in  these  lists,  when  obtained  from  sources  believed 
to  be  correct.  When  not  so  obtained,  the  names  of  the  mothers 
are  left  as  found  in  the  original  records. 

It  is  not  to  be  presumed  that  the  family  registers  recorded  in  these 
first  three  volumes  of  the  Hollis  records  embrace  the  families  of 
all  the  early  settlers  of  the  town,  or  that  the  lists  of  births  in  all 
the  families  so  recorded  and  here  presented  are  wholly  complete. 


FAMILY    REGISTERS. 


363 


It  is  known  that  the  births  in  some  of  these  early  families  were  not 
so  recorded,  and  it  is  also  known  that  there  were  errors  and  omis- 
sions in  some  and  probably  in  many  of  those  that  were  recorded. 
Still  it  is  believed  that  the  Hollis  records,  in  respect  to  the  gene- 
alogies of  its  early  settlers,  are  more  full  and  better  preserved  than 
the  like  records  of  most  of  our  older  towns,  and  the  information 
they  furnish  upon  this  subject  is  invaluable  to  such  of  their  descend- 
ants as  are  interested  in  preserving  the  pedigree  of  their  families. 
It  has  been  the  aim  of  the  compiler  to  exhibit  a  faithful  and  accu- 
rate transcript  of  these  family  lists  in  a  condensed  and  methodical 
form,  and  in  such  way  as  would  be  most  convenient  to  the  enquirer, 
without  the  toilsome  and  often  fruitless  task  of  a  search  through 
the  hundreds  of  pages  of  the  original  documents. 

The  whole  number  of  family  registers  embraced  in  these  lists,  is 
337, — the  aggregate  number  of  births  in  them,  2161, — making  an 
average  of  nearly  six  and  one  half  to  each  family,  exclusive  of  such 
births  as  may  have  been  omitted  in  the  records. 

In  thirteen  of  these  families  as  here  presented  there  was  but  one 
birth  each  ;  in  twenty-four  of  them  but  two  each ;  in  thirty-six  of 
them  but  three  each  ;  in  thirty-four  but  four  each  ;  in  thirty-four 
others,  five  each  ;  in  forty-two  of  them,  six  each  ;  in  thirty-six  of 
them,  seven  each  ;  in  twenty-seven,  eight  each  ;  in  thirty-four,  nine 
each  ;  in  twenty,  ten  each  ;  in  fifteen,  eleven  each  ;  in  six,  twelve 
each  ;  in  five,  thirteen  each  ;  in  eight,  fourteen  each  ;  in  two,  fifteen 
each  ;  and  in  one,  sixteen. 


BIRTHS,    MARRIAGES    AND    DEATHS. 


ABBOT,  Caj>t.  BENJAMIN*  and  ELIZABETH. 

ADAMS,  WILLIAM,  Jun.,  and  ESTHER. 

Benjamin,                          born  April  13,  1749. 

Esther,                               bo 

n  Apr.   10,  1784. 

Elizabeth,                              "     Feb.   22,  1751. 

Mary, 

Aug.    i,  1786. 

Samuel,                                  "     Apr.    15, 

753- 

William, 

June  .  3,  1787. 

Mary,  born   Dec.  31,  1754,  died  Jan.  2, 

755- 

Levi, 

Jan.    22,  1789. 

George,                               born  Dec.   29, 

755- 

Sarah, 

Jan.      8,  1791. 

Joel,                                        "     Dec.     4, 

757- 

Samuel, 

Jan.      5,  '793- 

Jacob,                                     "     Apr.   12, 

760. 

John, 

Jan.      9,  1795. 

*Died  Jan.  5,  1776,  a-t.  46. 

Lucy,                                    ^ 

Aug.  14,  1797. 

FAMILY    REGISTERS. 


ABBOT,      BENJAMIN,      Jun.,     and     SARAH 
WRIGHT. 

Benjamin,                           born  Dec.     I,  1778,  d 
Daniel,                                   "     Aug.  28,  1780. 
Jacob,                                      "    Oct.     4,  1782. 
Sarah,                                     "    July     3,  1785. 
Timothy  W-,                         "    May     4,  1788. 
.Stephen,                                 "    Dec.   15,  170x1. 
Betsey,                                   "    June  23,  1793. 
Abigail,                                 "    Jan.      9,  1796. 
Benjamin,                              "    Oct.    22,  1800. 
John,                                       "    July     2,  1803. 
Abial,                                     "    Dec.   29,  1807. 

AMES,  BURPEE*  and  GRACE  WHITING. 
Married  May  28,  1782. 
Burpee,  Jun.,                 born  Nov.  14,  1782. 
AMES,  BURPEE  and  HANNAH  CUMINGS. 
Married  April  4,  1784. 
Jeremiah,                           born  Oct.    25,  1784. 
William,                                *'     Mar.    3,  1786. 
Betsey,                                  "    June    9,  1787. 
Nathan,                                  "     Oct.    29,  1788. 
Poole,                                      "     Feb.    12,  1791,  d. 
Joseph,                                    "    Feb.   29,  1793,  d. 
Mary,                                     "    April  13,  1795. 
Joseph,                                   "    April  10,  1797. 
*Died  Nov.  18,  1836,  aet.  78. 

ABBOT,  GEORGE  and  NAOMI  TUTTLE. 
Married  Dec.  29,  1784. 

George,                             born  Oct.    17,  1788. 
Naomi,                                   "    Feb.     i,  1790. 
Betsey,                                   "    Jan.    u,  1792. 
Polly,                                     "    Mar.  n,  1796. 
William,                                "    June   14,  1798. 
Harriet,                                  "    July    31,  1802. 

ASTIN,  THOMAS  and  BEULAH. 

Ruth,                                  born  Sept.  27,  1752. 
Phineas,                                 "    Jan.    25,  1755. 
Thomas,                                 "    July    n,  1758. 
Ebenezer,                              "    Aug.  16,  1760. 
Beulah,                                   "    Nov.  16,  1762. 
Rebecca,                                 "     April  16,  1765. 
Mary,                                      "    Aug.  18,  1767. 
Jacob,                                      "    April  6,  1770. 
Abner,                                     ''    Aug.  26,  177*. 
Sarah,                                     "    Jan.    26,  1775. 

ADAMS,  WILLIAM*  and  MARY  SPEAR. 
Married  May  29,  1744. 

Mary,                                  born  Oct.    31,  1745. 
JLydia,                                     "     Oct.    14,  1747. 
Martha,                                  "    June  25,  1749. 
Lucy,                                      "    Aug.  17,  1751. 
Sarah,                                     "     Feb.    19,  1754. 
William,                                "    Apr.   15,  J7S6. 

*Died  Aug.  3,  1757,  a;t.  39. 

ASTIN,  JOHN  and  SARAH  HASTINGS. 
Married  Jan.  i,  1756. 

Sarah,                                 born  April    3,  1757. 
John,                                          "    July    29,  1758. 
Andrew,                                 "    Dec.   10,  1759,  d. 
Mary,                                      "    June    12,  1761' 
Martha,                                  "    Mar.     i,  1763. 
Benjamin,                               "    Jan.    25,  1765. 
Aaron,                                    "    July    19,  1766. 
Eldad,                                     "    April  29,  1768. 
Andrew,                                 "    April  12,  1770. 

AMES,  ENSIGN  STEPHEN  and  JANE  ROBBINS. 
Married  Apr.  14,  1731. 
Jane,                                  born    Dec.     6,  1733. 
Hannah,                                 "    Apr.  28,  1737. 
Stephen,                                 "    Mar.    4,  1739. 
Elizabeth,                            "    Feb.   10,  1742. 
Rachel,                                  ".    Dec.    12,  1744. 
Jonathan,                               "    Apr.   n,  1747. 
David,                                    "     May  30,  1749. 

ASTIN,  BENJAMIN  and  BETTY   FARLEY. 
Married  Nov.  24,  1768. 

Betty,                                  born  Mar.  22,  1770. 
Benjamin,                              "    July'  22,  1773. 
Stephen,                                 "    Sept.    2,  1775. 

AMES,  JONATHAN  and  FRANCES  POWERS. 
Married  Nov.  11,  1771. 

Frances,                             born  Sept.    5,  1773. 
Jonathan,  x                             "    July    23,  1775. 
Anna,                                     "     Dec.     i,  1776. 

ATWELL,  JOHN  and  BRIDGETT  CUMINGS. 
Married,  Nov.  13,  1760. 

ohn,  Jun.,                         born  June     6,1761. 
William  C.,                           "    May     7,  1763. 
Nathan,                                  "    June   15,  1766. 
onathan,                              "    Feb.  21,  1768. 

AMES,  Ensign  JEREMIAH  and  JANE. 
Jane,                              born  Sept.  28,  1770. 

FAMILY    REGISTERS. 


Bridget,                              born  May  24,  1770. 
Ebenezer,                               "    Nov.  33,  1772. 
Josiah  R.,                              "     Mar.  27,  1775. 
James,                                     "     Feb.     3,  1777. 
Becca,                                     "    Jan.    28,  1787. 

BALL,  WILLIAM*  and  REBECCA  KINNEY. 

Married  Dec.  7,  1786. 
/ 
Abel,                                 born  Sept.   8,  1787,  d. 
Amos,                                     "  ,Nov.   15,  1789. 
Rebecca,                               "    April   i,  1791. 
Abel,                                      "    March  2,  1794. 
Margaret,                               "    July     9,  1796. 
James,                                       "    July      4,  1799. 
Hannah,                                 "    Nov.  15,  1804. 

*Died  Jan.  25,  1832,  aet.  76. 

BALL,  EBENEZER  and  SARAH. 

Ebenezer,                           born  Feb.  36,  1749. 
Nathaniel,                              "    Jan.    34,  1751. 
Sarah,                                     "    May  26,  1753. 
William,                                "    April  13,  1755. 
Mehitable,                              "    Aug.    3,  1757. 
John,                                       "    Jan.      7,  1759. 
Lucy,                                      "    July     4,  1763. 

BARRON,  SAMUEL  and  SALLY  LUND. 
Married  Jan.  24,  1793. 

Sally,                                born  Nov.  29,  1793. 
Alice,                                      "    June     8,  1796. 
Samuel,                                  "    Sept.    4,  1799. 

BALL,     EBENEZER,    Jun.,    and    ELIZABETH 
DAVIS. 

Married  Oct.  18,  1770. 
Ebenezer,                           born  Oct.   14,  1771. 
Elizabeth,                             "    Nov.    7,  1773. 
Abigail,                                 "    Nov.  12,  1775. 
Daniel,                                   "    Mar.  12,  1777. 
Sarah,                                     "    Dec.    12,  1779. 
David,                                     "     Sept.  14,  1782. 
Lucy,                                 *     "    July    22,  1785. 
Phineas,     ) 
Prudence,  1  tWmS>                 "    ^  **'  '788' 

BARTON^  HENRY*  and  SARAH. 
Sarah,                                 born  Oct.     3,  1734. 
Mary,                                      "    Jan.     6,  1736. 
*Died  April  20,  1/60,  aet.  54. 

BAYLEY,  DANIEL*  and  REBEKAH. 
Joel,                                     born  Dec.    11,  1751. 
Andrew,                                "    Jan.       4,  1754. 
Daniel,                                   "     Dec.     S,  1755. 
Joanna,                                   "    Jan.    30,  1758. 
Rebecca,                                "    July     24,  1760. 
Sarah,                                    ««    May    21,  1763. 
Aaron,                                    "    June    28,  1765. 
Mary,                                     "     Nov.   16,  1768. 
*DiedJan.  15,  1798,  aet.  69. 

BALL,  ELEAZER  and  MARY. 

Eleazer,                              born  Jan.    12,  1770. 
Mary,                                      "    Dec.     3,  1771. 
Submit,  born  Mar.  27,  1777,  d.  Oct.  30^  1781. 
Samuel,                                  "     Sept.  28,  1779. 
Levissa,                                  "    June  26,  1781. 

BALL,  JOHN  and  MOLLY  CHAMBERLAIN. 
Married  April  24,  1782. 
Molly,                                 born  Jan.    21,  1783. 
Sarah,                                     "    March  3,  1785. 
John,                                       "    April  21,  1788. 
Lucy,                                      "    Jan.     24,  1790. 
Submit,                                  "     May    23,  1792,  d. 
Jesse,                                      "     Nov.    16,  1794. 
Ebenezer,                              "    May    n,  1796. 
Submit,                                  "    April  10,  1798. 
Samuel,                                "    Aug.  10,  1800. 
Calvin,                                    "    July,         1802. 
Lucretia,                                "    April   7,  1804. 

BAYLEY,  RICHARD  and  HANNAH  SHATTUCK. 

Hannah,                             born  May  27,  1778. 
Eleazer,                                 "     Feb.   20,  1779. 
Daniel,                                    "    July      i,  1781. 
[ob,                                          "    Aug.    5,  1782. 

BAYLEY,  JOSEPH  and  ABIGAIL. 

Spencer,                             born  Feb.     2,  1775. 
Samuel,                                "    Sept.    7,  1776. 
Abigail,                                 "    Oct.    14,  1779. 
ioseph,                                 "    Dec.     8,  1781. 
Elizabeth,                              "    Aug.  26,  1784. 
Nathaniel,                           "    Dec.    24,  1786. 
Dolly,                                     "     Feb.  21,    1789. 

BALL,  WILLIAM  and  ELIZABETH  COLBURN. 
Married  Feb.  9,  1781. 
William,                           born  Nov.  23,  1781,  d. 
William,                              "    Dec.   23,  1782. 

BAYLEY,  TIMOTHY  and  HANNAH. 

Hannah,                            born  Feb.  33,1776. 
Isaac,                                    "    July      5.  »777- 

366 


FAMILY    REGISTERS. 


Timothy,                            born  Jan.     13,  1780. 
Susannah,                              "     Feb.     6,  1782. 
John,                                       "    July      7,  1784. 
Leonard,                                "    June    19,  1787. 

Abel,                                  born  Feb.    17,  1761. 
Reuben,                                 "    Feb.     i,  1763. 
Betty,                                   "    Jan.    21,  1765. 
Simon,                                     "     April  10,  1766. 

BAYLEY,   DANIEL,*   Jun.,    and    ELIZABETH 
FRENCH. 

Married  Mar.  4,  1784. 

Elizabeth,                          born  Sept.  25,  1784. 
Rebecca,                                "    July     12,  1786. 
Lydia,                                    "    April  21,  1789. 
Daniel,                                   "     Dec.   31,  1793. 
Mary,                                     "    Aug.  28,  1797. 

*Died  Mar.  13,  1847,  aet.  91. 

BLANCHARD,   JACOB   and     REBEKAH 
LAWRENCE. 

Jacob,                                  born  Aug.    9,  1750,  d, 
Jacob,                                     "     Feb.    16,  1753. 

BLANCHARD,  JOSHUA  Jun.,  and  LUCY  FRENCH.. 
Married  Feb.  16,  1775. 
Joshua  M.,                             born  July  26,  1775. 

BENNET,  PHINEAS  and  MARY. 

Elijah,                                 born  Mar.  24,  1753. 
Tabitha,                                  "    Aug.   2,  1756. 
Elizabeth,  twin,                   "     May     3,  1758. 
Ephraim,      "                       "    May     3,  1758,  d. 
Ithamar,                                 "    Aug.  31,  1759. 
Mary,                                      "     Feb.  10,  1762. 
Ephraim,                               "    April  12,  1765. 

BLOOD,  JOSIAH  and  SARAH. 

Josiah,                                 born  Ju'y   J8,  '743- 
Ebenezer,                              "     May  26,  1745. 
Solomon,                                  "     April  17,  1747. 
Sarah,                                     "    May   19,  1750. 
Caleb,                                     "     May    21,  1752. 
Jacob,                                     "    July    24,  1762. 
Elizabeth,                              "    Mar.  27,  1766. 

BENNETT,  PHINEAS,  Jun.,  and  ELIZABETH. 

Ede,                                     born  Sept.    7,  1780. 
Elizabeth,                             "    Nov.     3,'  1782. 
Ezra,                                      "    Nov.  21,  1784. 

BLOOD,  NATHANIEL*  and  SARAH. 

Nathaniel,                          born  Mar.   23,  1741. 
Daniel,                                   "    Mar.    4,  1743. 
Sarah,                                     "    Mar.   :8,  1745. 
Nathan,                                  "    April   4,  1747. 
Francis,                                  "    June    16,  1749. 
William,                                  "     Nov.   12,  1751. 
Timothy,                                 "     Oct.     15,  1754. 

*Died  Nov.  11,  1782. 

BLANCHARD,  JOSHUA  and  SARAH  BURGE. 

Married  Sept.,  1747. 

Saiah,                                   born  Nov.     8,  1748. 
Joshua,                                   "     Oct.    21,  1750. 
David,                                    "    Nov.   10,  1752. 
Molly,          •                         "    Aug.  30,  1754. 
John,                                      "     Sept.   10,  1757. 
Lucy,                                      "    June     4,  1760. 

BLOOD,  ELNATHAN  and  ELIZABETH  BOYNTON 
Married  Nov.  26,  1741. 

Elizabeth,                             born  Oct.   20,  1742.  d. 
Elnathan,                               "     Dec.     4,  1744. 
Elizabeth,                              "    May  22,  1747. 
Daniel,                                   "    July    23,  1749. 
Jonas,                                     "     Oct.    25,  1751. 
Abel,                                       "    July    13,  1754. 
Caty,                                       "    Oct.    20,  1760. 
Mehitabel,                              "    Mar.     i,  1765. 

BLANCHARD,  BENJ.  and  KEZIA  HASTINGS. 
Married  Dec.  31,  1744. 

Benjamin,                           born  Nov.  15,  1745. 
Kezia,                                     "    Mar.  26,  1747. 
Abial,                                     "    Jan.      9,  1749,  d 
Jonathan,                               "    June    28,  1750. 
Abial,                                   «»    Dec.      i,  1751. 
Isaac,                                      "    April  14,  1753. 
Dorcas,                                  "     Feb.    25,  1755,  d. 
Peter,                                      "    Aug.  17,  1756. 
Dorcas,                                  "    Feb.    25,  1757. 
Joel,                                        "    Aug.  27,  1759. 

BLOOD,  DANIEL  and  PRISCILLA. 

Molly,                                    born  May     9,  1767. 
Sarah,                                     "    July    24,  1769. 
Daniel,                                    "     Feb.   26,  1771. 

FAMILY    REGISTERS. 


367 


BLOOD,  EPHRAIM  and  MARY. 

Reuben,                                born  Aug.  10,  1761. 
Amos,                                     "     Mar.   10,  1763. 
Ephraim,                                 "     April  28,  1764. 
David,                                     "    Dec.   15,  1765. 
Enoch,                                    "                      '769- 

BLOOD,  DANIEL,  ad,  and  SARAH. 

Sarah,                                 born  Jan.      4,  1775,  d. 
Daniel,                                   »    Feb.     5,  1776. 
Mighill,                                  »    Dec.    13,  1777. 
Sarah,                                    "    Sept.   18,  1779. 

Mary,                                      "     Sept.  11,  1771. 

BLOOD,  ELNATHAN,  Jun.,  and  DEBORAH 

BLOOD,  FRANCIS  and  ABIGAIL  CONROY. 
Married  Dec.  12,  1768. 

Abigail,                              born  Aug.  25,  1769. 
Hannah,                                 "     Nov.  :2,  1771. 
Francis,                                  "    Feb.   15,  1774.  d. 
Sarah,                                     "     May   10,  1776. 

Married  June  5,  1766. 

Nathan,                              born  Feb.     9,  1778. 
Rebekah,                               «'     May    14,  1780. 
Elizabeth,                              "    June     6,  1783. 
Hannah,                                 «     Aug.    8,  1785. 
Martha,                                  «    April    6,  1789. 

Polly,                                        "     Feb.   21,  1778. 
Francis,                                    "    Jan.    30,  1780. 
Elizabeth,                                "    Jan.      8,  1782. 
Nathan,                                    "    Jan.    26,  1784. 
Daniel,                                      "     Mar.  27,  1787. 

BLOOD,  JACOB*  and  RACHEL. 

Elizabeth,                         born  Aug.  14,  1785. 
Susannah,                              "    Aug.  aS,  1786. 
Rachel,  ) 
Rhoda,  j  tmnS>                     '     APnl  '*  '7s8- 

BLOOD,  SOLOMON*  and  PKISCILLA   FRENCH. 
Married  Jan.  5,  1769.     . 

Nancy,                                  "     Aug.   27,  1790. 
Sarah,                                     "     Dec.    n,  1791. 

*Died  Sept.  n,  1800,  set.  38. 

Sarah,                                     "     Dec.    22,  1771. 

Joseph,   I       . 
I  twins. 
Mary,      ' 

*Died  Dec.  6,  1802,  aet.  55. 

BLOOD,  ABEL  and  SARAH. 

Mehitable,                           born  Dec.    n,  1788. 
Abel,                                      "     May      5,  1791. 

BLOOD,  JOSIAH*  and  ABIGAIL  PIERCE. 
Married  May  24,  1770. 

Joel,                                       born  March  7,  1771. 
Mary,                                     "    July     10,  1773. 
Ebenezer,                              "     Mar.    15,  1775. 

BLOOD,   SOLOMON,  Jun.,  and   HANNAH 

KlNNEY. 

Married  June  9,  1794. 

Hannah,                             born  Nov.   28,  ^795. 
Sukey,                                    "     Sept.     3,  1798. 

Josiah,                                      "     Apr.    23,  1777. 
Sarah,                                       "     April     i,  1779. 
Anna,                                       "     April  23,  1783. 

BLOOD,  JOSIAH  and  SARAH  FRENCH. 

Benjamin,                            born  Mar.    16,  1789. 
Abigail,                                    "     April    5,  1791. 
Luther,                                     "     Mar.   25,  1793. 
Ama,                                         "     Apr.    14,  1797. 

*DiedJan.  15,  1816,  aet.  73. 

BOYNTON,  JOSHUA*  and  MARTHA. 

Joshua,                                born  Nov.  28,  1743. 
Martha,                                    "     Aug.  29,  1745. 
Benjamin,                              "    Feb.  ai,  1747. 
Mary,                                      "    June   10,  1749. 
Amos,                                     "    June  11,  1751. 
Sarah,                                       "     July    12,  1753. 
Elias,                                      "    Feb.   24,  1755. 
Elizabeth,                              "    April   4,  1757. 

'    *Died  Feb.  4,  1763. 

BLOOD,  NATHAN*  and  ELIZABETH  NOYES. 
Married  April  16,  1772. 

Nathan,                               born  April  n,  1773. 
Elizabeth,                              "     Feb.    13,  1775. 

*Killed  June  17,  1775. 

BOYNTON,  JOHN,  Jun.,  and  LYDIA  JKWETT. 
Married  May  17,  1745. 

Margaret,                            born  Dec.    6,  1745. 
Jemima,                                    "     Nov.  10,  1747. 
Samuel,                                  "     Mar.  ao,  1750. 

368 


FAMILY    REGISTERS. 


Lydia,                               born  Sept.  12,  1751- 
John,                                     "    Oct.    18,  1753. 
Isaac,                                    "    April  3,  1755. 
Balo,                                       "    Sept.  26,  1756. 
Sarah,                                   "    Dec.  26,  1757. 
Joel,                                      "    Mar.  22,  1759. 

BRADLEY,  ITHAMAR  and  MEHITABLE. 

Nehemiah,                          bora  May   17,  1779. 
Ezekiel,                                  "    April  27,  1781. 
Mehitable,                            "    Sept.   8,  1784. 
Ithamar,                                 "    June  22,  1790. 

BROOKS,  JOHN  and  MARY  KEMP. 
Married  Jan.  5,  1757. 

Mary,                                    born  Dec.    3,  1757. 
John,                                       "    Feb.   24,  1760.. 
Nathan,                                  "    Aug.  26,  1767. 
Abigail,                                 "     Dec.     6,  1770. 
Hannah,                                 "    Aug.  20,  1772. 
Ruth,                                      "    Jan.     15,  1775.    . 

BOYNTON,  Dea.  JOHN*  and  RUTH  JEWETT. 

Jeremiah,                           born  April  29,  1753. 
John,                                       "    Aug.  11,  1754. 
Jacob,                                    "    Dec.  12,  1756. 
Ruth,                                       "     Sept.  10,  1758. 
Mehitable,                              "    Jan.    21,  1761. 
Moses,                                  "    Sept.  25,  1763. 
Rebekah,                              "    Nov.  20,  1765. 
*Died  Oct.  29,  1787,  xt.  67. 

BROOKS,  Capt.  WILLIAM  and  ABIGAIL 
KEMP. 

Married  March  29,  1759. 

William,                              born  May     i,  1760. 
Abigail,                                    "    July    19,  1762. 
Betsey,                                   "    July    23,  1764. 
Sarah,                                     "    July      6,  1766. 
Isaac,                                      "     Oct.    28,  1768. 
Marah,                                    "     Feb.  15,  1771. 
Samuel,                                  "     Mar.     3,  1774. 
Martha,                                   "    Aug.  23,  1776. 
Leonard,                                 "    Jan.    29,  1779. 
John,                                       "     Nov.  n,  1781. 
Susannah,                              "     Feb.    12,  1783. 

BOYNTON,  BENJAMIN  and  DEBORAH  PARKER. 

Married  Nov.  5,  1778. 
Sarah,                                 born  May  29,  1779. 
Deborah,                                "    July     23,  1781. 
Benjamin,                              "    Dec.    21,  1783,  d. 
Benjamin,                              "    Aug.    4,  1786. 
Martha,                                  "     Oct.     12,  1788. 

BOYNTON,  JOSHUA,  Jun.,  and  MARY  PARKER. 
Married  May  26,  1778. 
Mary,                                  born  May    14,  1784. 
Joshua,                                   "     Mar.   19,  1786. 
Josiah,                                    "     Dec.   23,  1787. 
Samuel,                             .     "    Aug.    9,  1789. 

BROWN,  JOSIAH  and  ANNA. 

Elizabeth,                           born  Oct.    14,  1742. 
Anna,                                        "     Oct.    23,  1744. 
Josiah,                                    "     Sept.  24,  1746,  d. 
Molly,                                     "     Sept.    4,  1748. 
Joseph,                                   "    Nov.     8,  1750. 
Olive,                                      "     Nov.     i,  1752. 
Susannah,                              "    Aug.  20,  1754. 
Sarah,                           .          "    Jan.      3,  1757. 
Josiah,                                    "    Jan.    31,  1759. 

BOYNTON,  MOSES  and  HANNAH  LUND. 

Hannah,                             born  Feb.     2,  1795. 
Moses,                                    "     Mar.    2,  1798. 
Rebekah,                                "    April  3,  1801. 
Sarah,                                     "    May    20,  1803. 
Naomi,                                   "    July    14,  1805. 
Mary,                                      "    July    15,  1807. 
Lucy,                                      "     April  6,  1810. 
John,                                       "    Sept.    9,  1812. 
Eliza,                                     "    June  21,  1815. 
Jacob,                                   "    Dec.   17,  1818. 

BROWN,  SAMUEL  AND  MARY  GLENE. 

Married  March  26,  1756. 

Mary,                                  born  Jan.      i,  1757. 
William,                                 "    Nov.  13,  1758,  d.. 
Hannah,                                 "    Nov.  13,  1760. 

BROWN,  SAMUEL  AND  MARY  WHEELER. 
Married  January  22,  1761. 

Bridget,                               born  Dec.   31,  1761.. 
Samuel,                                  "    Jan.    n,  1764. 
William,                                "    Jan.      4,  1766. 

BRADBURY,  JAMES  and  CATHARINE  CONANT. 
Married  May  30,  1795. 
James,                                 born  Jan.     4,  1796. 
Catharine,                              "    Mar.  25.  1798. 
William  S.,                           "     Feb.   14,  1800. 
Charles,                                    "    July      4,  1802. 
Elizabeth,                            "    Sept.  18,  1804. 
Samuel  F  ,                            "    Dec.   25,  1806. 
Josiah  C.,                               '•    Feb.   21,  1809. 
Mary  Ann,                             •«     May   17,1811. 

FAMILY  REGISTERS. 


369 


BROWN,  JOHN*  and  KEZIA  WHEELER. 
Married  Oct.  9,  1744. 
Silas,                                   born  Aug.  11,  1745. 
John,          .                            "    Jan.     27,  1747. 
Kezia,                                     "    Dec.    23,  1749. 
Abigail,                                 "    June    10,  1754. 
Phineas,                                "    Nov.    14,  1756. 
Rebekah,                             "    Sept.  21,  i7S8.»« 
Elizabeth,                            "    Sept.  10,  1760. 
Martha,                                  "    April  8,  1762. 
Sarah,                                     "    Mar.  24,  1764. 
*Died  May  6,  1770,  Jet.  43. 

CARTER,  EDWARD  and  MARY. 

Mary,                                  born  Nov.    19,  1751. 
Elizabeth,                              "     Mar.    12,  1754. 
Susannah,                              "    June     6,  1756. 
Thomas,                                "     Sept.    5,  1758. 
Sarah,                                    "    June    15,  1762,. 

CARTER,  EDWARD,  Jun.,  and  ESTHER. 

Esther,                               born  Nov.    8,  1766. 
Caty,                                       "    July      8,  1768. 
Isaac  P.,                                "     April  27,  1770. 
Mary,                                      "     May   27,  1772. 
Betsey,                                 "    Sept.  30,  1773. 
Edward,                                 "     Aug.    8,  1775. 
Thomas,                                 "    July    13,  1777. 
Susannah,                              "     Oct.     12,  1779- 
Jonathan,                               "    Mar.  24,  1782. 
Loammi,                                "     Dec.    21,  1784. 

BROWN,  DAVID  and  REBEKAH. 
Rebekah,                           born  Dec.    13,  1769. 
David,                                    "    April    4,  1773. 

BROWN,  WILLIAM  and  ELIZABETH  NEVINS. 
William,                            born  Mar.   u,  1790. 
Betsey,                                   "    Oct.      8,  1791. 
Sukey,                                    "    Nov.     5,  1795. 
Nathan,                                  "    Aug.  22,  1798. 
Lucinda,                                "     Sept.   n,  1801. 

CLARK,  ELIJAH  and  MARTHA  RUNNELLS. 
Married  April  9,  1778. 
Hannah,                             born  Mar.    6,  1779. 
Elijah,                                    "    Mar.   18,  1781. 
Martha,                                  "     Feb.   19,  1786. 
John  R.,                                 "    Dec.    14,  1789. 

BURGE,  EPHRAIM*  and  ANNA  ABBOT. 
Married  Jan.  7,  1762. 
Anna,                                 born  Nov.  20,  1762. 
Ephraim,                               "    June     7,  1764. 
Josiah,                                       "     April  15,  1766. 
Jacob,                                      "    Jan.      7,  1768. 
Susannah,                              "     Dec.      5,  1769,  d. 
Susannah,                               "    July     31,  1/73. 
Abial,                                     "    May    27,  1775. 
Sarah,                                     "     May     2,  1777. 
Samuel,                                  "     Mar.   28,  1779. 
Benjamin,                              "    Aug.    5,  1782. 
*Died  July  31,  1784,  set.  46. 

COLBURN,  Lieut.  ROBERT*  and  ELIZABETH 
SMITH. 

Married  1747. 
Robert,                               born  April   9,  1748. 
Elizabeth,                              "     Oct.    22,  1749,  d- 
Benjamin,                              "     May    n,  1751,  d- 
Nathan,                                 "     Nov.     6,  1752. 
Benjamin,                              "     May      5,  1755. 
Peter,                                      "    Nov.  14,  1756. 
Elizabeth,                              "    April  27,  1759. 
Lucy,                                      "    Jan.     12,  1761. 
Anna,                                     "    Nov.   37,  1763.. 

*Died  July  9,  1783,  ret.  66. 

BURGE,  Dea.  EPHRAIM*  and  PATTY  BALDWIN. 
Married  Jan.  28,  1793. 
Ephraim,                              born  Nov.    8,  1/94. 
Patty,                                      '<     May     9,  1796. 
Anna,                                     "    July     13,  1798. 
Clarissa, 
Cyrus,                                    •'     Sept.    7,  1804. 
Emma,                          .           "     Nov.     5,  1807. 
*Died  March  3,  1843,  set.  78. 

COLBURK,  WILLIAM*  and  ABIGAIL. 

Isabel,                                 born  Aug.  16,  1758. 
Paul,                                       "     Oct.      4,  1761. 
William,                                "    June     8,  1764. 

*Died  April  3,  17*9,  set.  79. 

COLBURN,  THOMAS  and  ESTHER  KLAGG. 
Married  Sept.  15,  1757. 

James,                                 born                    '759- 
Ruth,                                      "    June     12,  1763. 
John,                                     "    Sept.  14,  1765. 
Thomas,                                 "     Nov.     i,  1767. 

BURPEE,  NATHANIEL  and  RUTH. 
*Nabby,                                born  June     5,1780. 
Sally,                                      "    Jan.    21,  1783. 
Nathaniel,                              '•     Nov.     8,  1785. 
Benjamin  D.,                        "    Dec.    to,  1788 
(26)       - 

37° 


FAMILY    REGISTERS. 


COLBURN,  ROBERT,  Jun.,  and  DORCAS. 

Dorcas,                               born  Oct.    12,  1773. 
Robert,                                   "    April    4,  1775. 
Peter,                                     "    Oct.    31,  1776. 
Timothy,                                "    Aug.  10,  1778. 
Hannah,                                "    April  10,  1780. 
Anna,                                     "    Aug.  31,  1781. 
Elizabeth,                              "    Jan.     16,  1783. 
Washington,                          "     April  20,  1786. 
William,                                "    March  2,  1789. 

CONANT,*  JOSIAH  and  CATHARINE  EMERSON. 
Married  Feb.  9,  1745. 

Josiah,                                  born  Oct.    17,  1746. 
Catharine,                              "    Dec.    23,  1748,  d. 
Catharine,                             "    Nov.  13,  1753. 
Abel,                                     "    Oct.      3,  1855. 

*Died  Dec.  14,  1756,  a;t.  44. 

CONANT,    Dea.    JOSIAH*    and    ELIZABETH 
ELLIOT. 

Married  Jan.  9,  1769. 

fosiah,                                born  Feb.     5,  1770. 
Elizabeth,                              "     Nov.   10,  1771. 
Catharine,                              "    Nov.   28,  1773. 
William,                                "     Jan.     16,  1776. 
Mary,                                      "    Jan.      7,  1778. 
Abigail,                                 "    Aug.  30,  1780. 
Ruth,                                      "     Dec.    3:,  1782. 
Elias,                                      "     Sept.         1785,  d 

CONANT,  Dea.  JOSIAH  and  ZERVIAH  Fox. 
Married  Dec.  16,  1788. 

Sarah,                                 born  Sept.  24,  1789. 
Joseph,                                      "    July      4,  .1791. 
Elias,                                      "     Sept.  n,  1792. 
Hannah,                                 "     Feb.   39,  1794. 
Sophia,                                   "     Feb.    16,  1796. 
Elizabeth,                             "    July      4,  1800. 

*Died  August  21,  1807,  jet.  61. 

COLBURN,  PAUL  and  MEHITABLE. 
Mehitable,                          born  Aug.  16,  1782. 
Elizabeth,                             "    Jan.     13,  1784. 

COLBURN,  BENJAMIN  and  ESTHER. 
Esther,                               born  May  29,  1779. 
Mary,                                      "     May     5,  1783. 
JL.ucy,                                      "     Feb.    10,  1785. 
Elizabeth,                             "    June    23,  1787. 
Mehitable,                             "    May    16,  1789. 
Hannah,                                "    Mar.    21,  1791. 
Joseph,                                   "     May    20,  1793. 
John,                                         "    Jan.     24,  179$. 
Elias,                                      "     Feb.    1.5,  1797,  d. 
Elias,                                      «'     Oct.    15,  1800. 

COLBURN,  NATHAN*  and  ABIGAIL  SHATTUCK. 
Married  Jan.  28,  ^79. 
Abigail,                             born  Nov.     i,  1782. 
Nathan,                                  "     Mar.   31,  1785. 
Rachel,                                  "    Dec.     n,  1787. 
Susannah,                             "    Feb.    19,  1790. 
Elizabeth,                              "    Nov.   19,  1791. 
Nathaniel  W.,                       "    July     17,  1794. 
Daniel,                                   "     Oct.      8,  1796. 

*Died  Feb.  17,  1831,  act.  78. 

CONANT,  Dea.  ABEL*  and  MARGARET  JEWETT 
Married  Nov.  20,  1781. 

Margaret,                           born  Aug.  30,  1782. 
Abel,                                       "    June     i,  1784. 
James,                                     "    April   7,  1786. 
Catharine,                              "    Dec.  29,  1787. 

CONANT,  Dea.  ABEL  and  LYDIA  THURSTON. 

Susannah,                          born  May  26,  1791. 
Joseph,                                    "    Nov.  24,  1792. 
Daniel,                                   "     Dec.   n,  1794. 
Lydia,                                     "     April  26,  1796. 
Rebekah,                                "     Nov.  28,  1798. 
Moses  T.,                               "     Feb.     3,1801. 
John  C.,                                    "    Jan.     30,  1803. 

*Died  May  2,  1844,  a:t.  88. 

COLBURN,  JAMES*  and  SUSANNAH  HARDY. 
Married  Feb.  14,  1785. 
James,                                 born  Mar.  13,  1786. 
Susannah,                              "     Dec.    30,  1787. 
Sally,                                      "    Oct.      7,  1789,  d. 
Hannah,                                 "     Dec.   37,  1791. 
Esther,                                   "     Feb.    26,  1794. 
Ruth,                                      "    April  24,  1796. 
Sally,                                      "    May      3,  1798. 
John,                                       "     Aug.  22,  1799. 
Bradlee,                                  "    July    28,  1801. 
Amos,                                     "    Jan.     12,  1804. 
Mary,                                     "     Nov.  ao,  1805. 
Almira,                                  "     Oct.     28,  1807. 
Louisa,                                   "     Feb.    6,    1811. 
*Died  Feb.  14,  1830,  set.  70. 

CONROY  JOHN  and  LYDIA. 

John,                                   born  Dec.   28,  1761. 
Sarah,                                     "    Sept.  13,  1764. 
Lydia,                                       "    Jan.    39,  1766.    . 
Thomas,                                 "     April  3,  1769. 

FAMILY   REGISTERS. 


37' 


William,                             born  Aug.    3,  1771,  d. 
William,                                "     Sept.  26,  1775. 
Mary,                                      "     Nov.    6,  1777. 

CUMINGS,  Lieut.  JOHN  and  REBECCA. 

>eter,                                   born  Nov.  12,  1761. 
Lebecca,                               "    Mar.    2,  1764,  d. 
arah,                                   "    Oct.     5,  1766. 
ohn,                                       "    Mar.    8,  1769. 
Rebecca,                           •     "    Aug.  28,  1771. 
Abigail,                                "    Feb.   11,  1774. 
Asahel,                                   "    Jan.     13,  1777. 
Henry,                                  "    Nov.    i,  1779. 
Benaiah,                                 "    Mar.  21,  1782. 

CONROY  SAMUEL  and  ALICE  BLOOD. 
Married  Nov.  22,  1774. 
Samuel,                                born  July     9,  1779. 
Alice,                                      "     May  27,  1781. 
Jonas,                                     "    Nov.    7,  1783. 
Martha,                                  "     Dec.     7,  1785. 
Sarah,                                     "    Aug.  23,  1788. 
David,                                     "    May  23,  1791. 

CUMINGS,  SAMUEL  Jun.  and  LYDIA  WEBSTER 
Married  Nov.  3,  1768. 

^ydia,                                 born  Aug.  21,  1769. 
Sibbel,                                  "    May  17,  1771. 
Samuel,                                  "    May  30,  1773. 
Prudence,                              "    Jan.    24,  1775. 

CONROY  STEPHEN  and  REBECCA  BLODGETT. 
Married  Dec.  13,  1781. 
Betsey,                                born  Feb.   25,  1782. 
Eunice,                                   "     Feb.    13,  1784. 
John,                                       "    June   13,  1787. 
Rebekah,                                "    April  26,  1789. 
Isaac,                                      "     Feb.     9,  1795. 
Oliver  B.,                               "     Aug.  28,  1802. 

CUMINGS,  PHILIP  and  MARY. 

Philip,                                 born  Sept.    i,  1770. 
Thomas,                                 "    Aug.    7,  1772. 

CUMINGS,    SAMUEL*    Esq.,    and    PRUDENCE 
LAWRENCE. 
Married  July  18,  1732. 
Mary,                                  born  April  22,  1734. 
Sibbell,                                    "     Nov.    i,  1736. 
Prudence,                               "     Nov.  26,  1740. 
Samuel,                                  "     Dec.    10,  1742. 
Thomas,                                 "    Aug.  21,  1748. 
Benjamin,                              "     Nov.  25,  1757. 
*Died  Jan.  18,  1772,  xt.  62. 

CUMINGS,    WILLIAM*    and    MEHITABLK 
EASTMAN. 
Married  Jan.  28,  1768. 
William,                             born  Jan.     17,  1769. 
Jonathan,                                 "     Aug.    2,  1770. 
Daniel,                                  "    July     6,  1772. 
Leonard,                                 "    April  19,  1774. 
Caleb  E.,                                "    Jan.      9,  1776. 
Sarah,                                     "     Dec.   18,  1777. 
Elizabeth,                              "     April  15,  1780. 
Molly,                                     "     May    18,  1782. 
Bradley,                                 "     April  12,  1784. 
Hannah,                                 "    July    17,  1786. 
Luther,                                   "     May     6,  1789. 

*Died  Oct.  2,  1831,  at.  90. 

CUMINGS,    JERAHMAEL*   and    HANNAH 
FARWELL. 

Hannah,                              born  July   13,1737. 
Henry,                                    "     Sept.  16,  1739. 
Jotham,                                   "     Dec.   29,  1741. 
Caty,                                       "     Feb.   28,  1744. 
Betty,                                      "    July    17,  1746. 
*Died  Oct.  21,  1747,  aet.  36. 

CUMINGS,  Lieut.  BENJAMIN  and  BRIDGET 
POOL. 
Married  Dec.  7,  1780. 
Benjamin,                          born  Aug.  24,  1782. 
Bridget,                                  "     Feb.     3,  1784. 

CUMINGS,  Lieut.  BENJAMIN  and  SARAH 

H  OLDEN. 

Sarah,                                 born  June     7,1787. 
Samuel,                                  "     Nov.    9,  1788. 
Thomas,                                 "     Sept.  18,  1700. 
David,                                     "     Oct.    13,  1792. 
Phineas,                                 "     Mar.  15,  1795. 
Betsey,                                   "    April  10,  1797. 
William,                                "     April  25,  1799. 

CUMINGS,    EBENEZER*    and    ELIZABETH 
ABBOTT. 
Elizabeth,                          born  Nov.   23,  1759. 
Ebenezer,                               "     Sept.  15,  1761. 
Abigail,                                  "    July     9,  1763. 
Bridget,                                  "    June   16,  1765. 
Lucy,                                      "    July     9,  1767. 
Mary,                                      "     Oct.    23,  1769. 
Jacob  A.,                                "    Nov.    2,  1772. 
Sarah,                                     "     Feb.   28,  1775. 
*Died  1778. 

372 


FAMILY    REGISTERS. 


CUMINGS,  THOMAS  and  HANNAH  POOL. 
Married  Nov.  17,  1772. 

Hannah,                             born  April    i,  1773. 
Sarah,                                     "                     1774. 
Thomas,                                 "    Nov.    i,  1776. 

Dow,  STEPHEN*  and  ABIGAIL  JEWETT. 
Married  June  17,  1784. 
Lois,                                   born  Feb.      2,  1786. 
Stephen,                                 "    July     14,  1787. 
Hannah,                                 "    April  28,  1790. 
Nathaniel,                              "     Aug.  21,  1792. 
Jeremiah,                               "    Jan.      5,  1795. 
Abigail,                                  "     April  22,  1797. 
Elizabeth,                              "     Dec.   24,  1800. 
*Died  Nov.  i,  1839,  **•  82. 

DANFORTH,  JONA.*  and  ANNA   BLANCHARD 
Married  May  24,  1743. 

Anna,                                  born  Feb.     7,  1744. 
Jonathan,                               "    July    20,  1745. 
David,                                     "    Jan.    24,  1747. 

*Died  March  3,  1747,  aet.  33. 

DRURY,  Lieut.  ZEDEKIAH  and  HANNAH. 

Gershom,                           born  Dec.   31,  1739. 
Zedekiah,                              "    Mar.     i,  1742. 

Jonathan,    ) 
_,                  !  twins,               "     Aug.    4,  1  74V 
Ebenezer,  } 

Thomas,                                 «'    April  26,  1747. 
Nathan,                                  "    Nov.  23,  1748. 
Hannah,                                 "     Aug.  29,  1750. 
Elizabeth,                              "     Aug.  27,  1752. 
Mary,                                      "     Feb.     8,  1757. 
David,                                     "     May    15,  1759. 
John,                                       "     Feb.   28,  1761. 
Samuel,                                  "    July     10,  1763. 

DANFORTH,  JONATHAN,  Jun.,  and  HANNAH 

Hannah,                              born  May     5,  1770. 
Jonathan,                               "    July    27,  1772. 
Elizabeth,                              "     May    10,  1774. 
Leonard,                                 "    April   9,  1777. 
David,                                     "     May   if,,  1779. 
Luther,                                   "    Oct.    23,  1781. 
Anna,                                     "    July    19,  1783. 
Asa,                                      "    Oct.    14,  1785. 
Rebecca,                                 "    Mar.  23,  1788. 

EASTMAN,  Lieut.  AMOS*  and  MEHITABLE 
BRADLEY. 
Mehitable,                          born  June   25,  1746. 
Jonathan,                                 "    July     19,  1748. 
Amos,                                     "    April  28,  1751. 
Caleb,                                    "    Oct.      3,  1753. 
Sarah,                                     "     Mar.    5,  1756. 
Hannah,                                 "    Jan.      6,  1759. 

*Died  March  6,  1808,  aet.  88. 

DANFORTH,  JACOB  and  ANNA. 

Jacob,                                born  Mar.  ao,  1769. 
Timothy,                                "    June     a,  1771. 
Anna,                                     "    Mar.    9,  1773. 

DA.VIS,  JOSHUA  and  DOROTHV  WHEELSR. 
Married  Oct.  22,  1767. 

Simeon,                               born  Mar.    4,  1784. 
Hannah,                                 "    May  23,  1786. 

EASTMAN,  JONATHAN*  arid  SARAH  FLETCHER. 
Married  Sept.  13,  1770. 
foseph  F.,                          born  Jan.     14,  1772. 
fonathan  B.,                         "    Jan.       8,  1780. 
*Died  Dec.  29,  1700,  aet.  42. 

DINSMORE,  ABRAHAM  and  LYDIA. 

Abraham,                           born  Jan.    17,  1753. 
Zebadiah,                               "    Jan.     17,  1755. 
Lydia,                                     "    Jan.     34,  1757. 
Hannah,                                 "    Mar.    a,  1759. 
Phebe,                                    "    May    17,  1761. 
Thomas,                                 "    Aug.  14,  1763. 

EASTMAN,  AMOS*  and  RUTH  FLAGG. 
Married  Jan.  6,  1774. 
Ruth,                                born  Oct.    24,  1774. 
Persis,                                    "    Dec.     i,  1775,  d. 
Persis,                                    "     Oct.     37,  1776. 
Amos,                                    "    Aug.    4,  1778. 
Caleb,                                     "    May     4,  1780. 
Charles,                                  "     Feb.     4,  1782. 
Hannah,                                "    June    25,  1783. 
Alpheus,                                "     Oct.      9,  1787. 
Luke,                                      "    June   22,  1790. 
*Died  August  2,  1832,  aet.  81. 

Dow,  Capt.  REUBEN*  and  LYDIA  JONES. 

Evan,                                 born  Feb.    4,  1754. 
Stephen,                                 "    Dec.  30,  1757. 
Lydia,                                     «'    May   18,  1762. 
Phebe,                                     "    June  22,  1765. 
Daniel,                                   "    Dec.    10,  1769. 
Lois,                                       "    June   24,  1773. 

*Died  Feb.  9,  1811,  aet.  81. 

FAMILY   REGISTERS. 


373 


EMERSON,    Rev.    DANIEL*    and    HANNAH 
EMERSON. 

Married  Nov.  7,  1744- 

Hannah,                              born  Sept.  30,  1745. 
Daniel,                                   "    Dec.    15,  1746. 
Mary,                                    "    Sept.  19,  1748,  d. 
Peter,                                      "    Nov.    7,  1749. 
Lucy,                                      "    Oct.    29,  1751. 
Mary,                                      «'    Nov.  14,  1753. 
Elizabeth,                              "    May     5,  1755. 
Ebenezer,                              "    Aug.  14,  1757. 
Joseph,                                   "    Sept.  28,  1759. 
Raiph,                                    "    Mar.    4,  1761. 
Rebecca,                                "    July      5,  1762. 
Samuel,                                  "    Sept.    6,  1764. 
William,                                "    Dec.    n,  1765. 

*Died  Sept.  30,  1801,  aet.  85. 

EMERSON,  RALPH*  and  ALICE  AMKS. 
Married  May  13,  1784. 

Elizabeth,                         born  Jan.    27,  1785. 
Alice,                                     "     Oct.      4,  1790. 

*Died  Oct.  4,  1790,  aet.  29. 

EASTERBROOK,  JOSEPH  and  LYDIA. 

Mary,                                  born  April  20,  1751. 
Elizabeth,                            "    Nov.    2,  1753. 
Lydia,                                     "    Jan.    34.  1761. 
Joseph,                                 "    Mar.  28,  1764. 

FARLEY,  Lieut.    SAMUEL    and    HANNAH 
BROWN. 

Married  Oct.  9,  1744. 

Ebenezer,                           born  Oct.     9,  1745. 
Samuel,                                  "    Mar.   14,  1747. 
Hannah,                                 "    Jan.    27,  1749. 
Benjamin,                              "     Mar.  n,  1756- 
Anna,                                     "    Feb.    19,  1768. 

EMERSON,  Dea.  DANIEL*  and  AMA  FLETCHER 
Married  Nov.  17,  1768. 

Ama,                                   born  Aug.  20,  1769. 
Daniel,                                   "    July    15,  1771. 
Hannah,                                 •'    Dec.     7,  1773. 
Joseph,                                   "'    Oct.     13,  1777. 
Ralph,                                  "    Aug.  18,  1787. 
Samuel,     > 
•William,   I  twms'                       Nov-    9-  '791- 
*Died  Oct.  4.  1820,  aet.  74. 

FARLEY,  Lieut.  BENJAMIN*  and  JOANNA 
PAGE. 

Joanna,                                born  April  21,  1733. 
Rebecca,                                 "    April  29,  1735. 
Benjamin,                              "    June   21,  1737. 
Molly,                                     "     Nov.  25,  1739. 
Betty,                                      "    June  23,  1742. 
Lucy,                                      "     Feb.   13,  1744. 
Ebenezer,                              "     Sept.  19,  1747. 
Hannah,                                 "     Feb.     8,  1750,  d. 
Christopher,                          "    April    i,  1751. 
Stephen,                                 "    Jan.    28,  1754. 
Hannah,                                 "    Jan.    31,  1757. 
Sarah,                                     "     Sept.  28,  1761. 

*Died  Dec.  23,  1789,  aet.  79. 

EMERSON,  THOMAS  and  JUDITH. 

James,                                 born  Aug.   7,  1770. 
Thomas,                                 "    Nov.  27,  1/74. 
William,                                "     Mar.  28,  1777. 
Daniel,                                   "    June    12,  1780. 
John  S.,                                  "    Aug.  12,  1783. 
Asa,                                      "    Sept.  20,  1785. 

EMERSON,  TIMOTHY  and  HULDAH. 

Timothy,                            born  Dec.   n,  1776. 
Aaron,                                    "    June   n,  1779. 
Stephen,                                "     Mar.   29,  1781. 
Huldah,                                 "    April   i,  1783. 
Jesse,                                      "    May    15,  1785. 

FARLEY,  Capt.    CALEB*    and    ELIZABETH 
FARLEY. 

Elizabeth,                         born  Aug.  34,  1755. 
Joseph,                                    "    May     i,  1757. 
Caleb,                                     "    April   3,  1759. 
James,                                     "    April  12,  1761. 
Benjamin,                              "    June  27,  1763. 
John,                                       "    May         1765. 
Thomas,                                 "     Dec.   28,  1769. 
Abel,                                     "    July    17,  1773. 

*Died  April  5,  1833,  aet.  102  years,  5  mo. 

EMERSON,  Dr.  PETER*  and  MOLLY. 

Susannah,                          born  Dec.   10,  1781. 
Rebecca,                                "     May    29,  1784. 
Mary,                                     "    June     7,  1786. 
Daniel,                                   "     Sept.  16,  1788. 
Hannah,                                 "    June  25,  1791. 
John,                                       "    April  7,  1798. 

*Died  1827,  aet.  78. 

374 


FAMILY  \  REGISTERS. 


FARLEY,  EBENEZER*  and  BETTY  WHEELER. 
Married  Nov.  6,  1766. 

Benjamin,                           born  Feb.    i,  1767. 
Lucy,                                    •«    Sept.    3,  1768. 
Joanna,                                   "     Mar.  22,  1770. 
Betty,                                      "    Mar.  18,  1772. 
Ebenezer,                             "    Mar.    4,  1774. 
Hannah,                                 "    Dec.     i,  1775. 
John,                                       "    Dec.   13,  1777. 
Daniel,                                    "     Oct.    28,  1779. 
Jesse,                                      "    June   26,  1781. 
Sarah,                                     "    April  23,  1783. 
Rebecca,                               "    Dec.   13,  1784. 
Susannah,                              "     Feb.     4,  1787. 
James,                                   "    May  21,  1791. 

*Died  Jan.  28,  1827,  act.  80. 

Abigail,                             born  July    23,  1786, 
William,                                "     Oct.    21,  1787. 
Nathan,                                  »     Mar.  16,  1789. 
Henry,                                      "    July      9,  1790. 
Elizabeth,                            «'    Sept.  14,  1791,  d_ 
Isaac,                                    "    Feb.   15,  1793. 
Lucy,                                       "    April  16,  1794. 
Hannah,                                 '«    July    17,  1795. 
Sukey,                                     "     Dec.     2,  1796. 
Elizabeth,                              "     Oct.    10,  1799. 
Oilman,                                  "    Jan.    12,  1802. 

FARLEY,    Lieut.    BENJAMIN    and    M.VVA 
BLODGETT. 
Married  Feb.  15,  1787. 
Mary,                                   born  July  27,  178?- 
Benjamin,                              "    May     3,  1790. 
Sarah,                                     "     May     5,  1792,  d. 
Noah,                                      "    Apr.   13,  1794,  d. 
Leonard,                                 "     Sept.  23,  1796,  d, 
Charlotte,                               "     Oct.    22,  1797. 
Noah,                                      "     Feb.   10,  iSoo. 
Abel,                                     "    Sept.  19,  iSoa. 
Leonard  W.,                          "    Aug.  9,  1805. 
Sarah,                                     "     Aug.  n,  1807. 
Caleb,                                      "    July    16,  1811. 

FARLEY,  CHRISTOPHER*  and  RUTH  JEWETT. 
Married  Dec.  30,  1773. 
Ruth,                                   born  Sept.  19,  1774. 
Amos,                                     "    June     6,  1776. 
Christopher  P.,                     "    Jan.    30,  1778. 
Susannah,                              "    Jan.      9,  1780. 
James  J.,                                "    May     4,1782^. 
James  J.,                                "    Jan.    12,1784. 
Elizabeth,                              "    July    28,  1786. 
Christopher,                          "     Oct.     8,  1788. 

*Died  June  21,  1788,  ast.  37. 

FARLEY,   BENJAMIN  and  LUCY  FLETCHER. 

Married  June  18,  1780. 
Sarah,    ) 
Betsey,  i          S>                born  June     3,  1781.* 

Benjamin  Mark,                   "    Aug.    8,  1788. 
Lucy,                                    "    Dec.  26,  1784. 
Luther,                                   "     Dec.  25,  1786. 
Charles,                                  "     Oct.    13,  1788. 
Benjamin,                              "     Feb.   20,  1791,  5. 
George  Frederic,                  "    Apr.     5,  1793. 
Percy,                                      "     Sept.  12,  1798. 
Clarissa,                                  "    Nov.  12,  1801, 

FARLEY,  JOSEPH  and  BRIDGET  POWERS. 
Married  Dec.  18,  1777. 
Bridget,                              born  Mar.     4,  1778. 
Joseph,                                    "     Feb.     7,  1780. 

FARLEY,  STEPHEN*  and  MARY  SHATTUCK. 
Married  Jan.  28,  1779. 

Stephen,                              born  Oct.   24,  1779. 
Mary,                                      "    Aug.  12,  1781. 
Isaac,                                      "    Aug.  21,  1783. 
Elizabeth,  twin,    >            „ 
Joanna,           "  d.,  ) 
Hannah,                                "                      5787. 
Christopher,                          "     Oct.    19,  1789. 
Joanna,                                   "    Aug.  10,  1791. 

*Died  Jan.  13,  1837,  **•  84- 

FARLEY,  BENJ.,  Jun.,  and  ANNA  MERRILL. 

Benjamin,                           born  Oct.     3,  1789. 
Anna,                                        "    June   30,  1791. 
Polly,                                      "     Feb.    :8,  1794. 
Rebekah,                                "    Aug.  17,  1796. 
Enoch,                                      "    July    22,  1798. 
Lucy,                                       "     Oct.    18,  1803. 
Merrill,                                   "     May     6,  1806. 
Edward  P.,                            "    Dec.   26,  1808. 

FARLEY,  CALEB.JUH.,  and  ABIGAIL  PIIELPS. 
Married  April  12,  1781. 

Caleb,                                 born  April  15,  1783. 
James,                                     "     Sept.  27,  1783. 
John,                                       "     Feb.    15,  1785. 

FARMER,  MINOT*    and    ABIGAIL    B  AKRON. 
Married  Sept.  15,  1775. 
Abigail,                               born  Dec.    i,  1775. 
*Died  May  19,  1776,  aet.  26. 

FAMILY   REGISTERS. 


375 


FISK,  Lieut.  AMOS  and  ELIZABETH  FLAGG. 
Married  March  18,  1762. 

Betty,                                   born  Jan.    17,1763. 
Hannah,                                 "    Jan.    21,  1765. 
Sarah,                                     "     Apr.     7,  1767. 

Fox,  Dr.  JONATHAN*  and  ZERVIAH  JONES. 

Zerviah,                           born  Feb.   16,  1779. 
fonathan,                             "    May    17,  1781. 
Ebenezer,                              "     April   6,  1783. 

*Died  Oct.  26,  1782,  act.  28. 

JFiSK,  JOSIAH  and  MARY  CALDWELL. 

Married  Nov.  25,  1779. 
Josiah,                                 born  Nov.  14,  1781. 

FRENCH,  NICHOLAS  and  PRISCILLA. 

Timothy,                            born  July     6,  1745. 
Priscilla,                               "    Oct.       2,  1747. 
Nicholas,                               "    June    30,  1750. 
Isaac,                                    "    Sept.    i,  1752. 
Lucy,                                      "    April  21,  1755. 
Sarah,                                     "    Aug.    3,  1758,  d. 
Jonathan,                               "     Aug.  21,  1759. 
Sarah,                                     "    April  22,  1762. 
David,                                    "     Oct.     28,  1765. 

FLETCHER,  OLIVER  and  TABITHA. 

Thankful,                            born  July   18,1766. 
Sibbel,                                    "    Jan.     15,  1768- 
Tabitha,                                 "     Feb.     5,  1770. 
Betty,                                      "     Feb.     3,  1772. 
Stephen,                                 "     Dec.     i,  1773. 
Rebecca,                                 "     Oct.    19,  1775. 

FRENCH,  JOHN  and  MARY. 

Mary,                                  borp  July    12,  1750. 
Hepzibah,                              "    Jan.     31,  1752. 
William,                                "     May    19,  1754,  d. 
John,                                       "    April    8,  1757. 
Elizabeth,                              "    Aug.  22,  1759. 
Jonathan,                               "    Jan.      9,  1762. 
Abigail,                                 "    Mar.   26,  1764. 
Whitcomb,                            "     Oct.    26,  1766. 
Rebekah,                               "    Nov.     3,  1768. 
Ebenezer,                               "    May     7,  1771. 
Joseph,                                   "    July    23,  1773. 

FLAGG,  ELEAZER*    and  HANNAH. 

Abigail,                                born  Apr.    16,1735. 
Esther,                                   "    Jan.     30,  1737. 
John,                                       "     May     i,  1739. 
Mary,                                      "    June    16,  1741. 
Jerusha,                                  "     Feb.     j,  1744. 
Elizabeth,                              "     May    11,  1745. 
'Ruth,                                       "     Oct.          1746. 
Joseph,                                    "    June    3,  1750. 

*Died  August  14,  1757,  »t.  53. 

FRENCH,  JOSIAH  and  SARAH  ASTIN. 
Married  Nov.  27,  1760. 
Sarah,                                 born  Aug.  27,  1761. 
Rebekah,                               "    July     31,  1763,  d- 
Josiah,                                    "    June  27,  1765. 
Lucy,                                    "    Aug.    9,  1767. 
Daniel,                                   "    Feb.    28,  1771. 
William,                                "    May    25,  1773. 
Nathan,                                  "    Feb.     9,  1778. 
Rebekah,                              "    May    14,  1780. 

"FLAGG,  Capt.  JONAS  and  MARTHA  KNIGHT. 

Martha,                               born  Feb.     3,  1760. 
Jonas,                                      "     Mar.  10,  1763. 
Jerusha,                                  "    April  27,  1764. 
Mary,                                      "    Feb.  23,  1766. 
Reuben,                                  "    Aug.  10,  1768. 
Joseph,                                   "     Sept.  10,  1772. 

FLAGG,  JOSEPH  and  HANNAH  BOYNTON. 
Hannah,                             born  Dec.     3,  1795. 

FRENCH,  JAMES  and  SARAH  BROOKS. 
Married  Sept.  i,  1760. 
James,                               born  June    6,  1762. 
Sarah,                                     "    Nov.  21,  1766. 
Elizabeth,                            "    Mar.    8,  1769. 
Mary,                                      "     May    19,  1771. 

FOSTER,  EDWARD  and  PHEBE. 

Susannah,                          born  Feb.     2,  1777. 
Elizabeth,                              "     April  25,  1779. 
Patty,                                     "    May    19,  1781. 
Bridget,                                 "    April  26,  1783. 
Noah,                                     '"    Dec.    13,  1784. 
William,                                "     Dec.     5,  1786. 
.Benjamin,                              "     Dec.     4,  1788. 

FRENCH,  TIMOTHY  and  ANNA  WILLOUGHBY. 
Married  May   3,  1771.  } 
Timothy,                           born  May    8,  1772. 
Anna,                                   "_  May    8,  1774. 

376 


FAMILY   REGISTERS. 


FRENCH,  XEHEMIAH  and  SUBMIT. 


Submit, 

Nehemiah, 

Abraham, 


born  Sept.  22,  1771. 
"  Dec.  ii,  1774. 
"  Jan.  21,1777. 


FRENCH,  ISAAC  and  LUCY  WILKINS. 


Lucy, 

Priscilla, 

Sarah, 

Isaac, 

Susannah, 

Mark, 

Mehitable, 

David, 

Polly, 

Lefa, 

Mark, 


twins, 


born  Sept.  30,  1779. 

"  Mar.    6,  1781. 

"  Oct.    30,  1782. 

"  Feb.   10,  1785. 

"  July    'S»  1791- 

"  Aug.   7,1793. 

"  Mar.  31,  1794. 

"  July    18,  1795. 

"  May  26,  1797. 

"  Dec.   12,  1798. 


FRENCH,  JOSEPH  and  MARY  YOUNGMAN. 

Married  Feb.  i,  1771. 

Joseph,  born  June     8,  1772. 

Mary,  '«     Mar.   14,  1774. 

Ebenezer,  "    Oct.     14,  1776. 

Tabitha,  "     Mar.  20,  1779. 

Stephen  Y.,  "     Sept.  23,  1781. 

Mitte,  "    June    20,  1784. 

Martha,  "     Oct.     14,  1786. 


GILSON,  EBEN'R  and  ELIZABETH  LAWRENCE 

Married   August  24,  1769. 
Betty,  born  Aug.  16,  1775. 

Sarah,  "     May    19,  1779. 


GOODHUE,  JOHN  and  OLIVE. 


John, 

Samuel, 

Jonathan, 

Ephraim, 

Joseph, 

Mary, 


born  April  4,  1763. 
"  Apr.  30,  1765. 
"  Oct.  i,  1767. 
"  July  ii,  1770. 
"  Jan.  9,1774. 
"  Dec.  3,  1776. 


Goss,  Capt.  JOHN*  and  CATHARINE  CONANT 

Married  Feb.  10,  1774. 
John,  born  Jan.     7,  1775. 

"    Nov.  29,  1776. 

"    Oct.    23,  1780. 

"    Oct.    ii,  1782. 

"     Dec.  30,  1784. 

"    Aug.  15,  1787. 

"     Oct.    10,  1789. 


Samuel, 

Abel, 

Catharine, 

Lucy, 

Anna, 

Mark, 

Luke, 

Elizabeth, 


June   13,  1792. 
Nov.  19,  1795. 


GOODHUE,  JOHN,  Jun.,  and  REBECCA  PERHAM. 

Married  April  26, 1787. 
Sarah,  born  Apr.  13,  1788. 

Joseph  A.,  ««    Sept.   5,  1789. 

Josiah,  «'    Mar.  19,  1792. 


GOULD,  JAMES  and  MARY  LOVEJOY. 

Married  May  27,  1765. 

James,  born  Dec.    18,  1765. 

Phineas,  "    July_   18,  1767. 

Ralph  W.,  "    June    19,  1769. 


HALE,  Col.  JOHN*  and  ELIZABETH  HALL. 
John,  born  Sept.    8,  1756. 

David,  "    June     8,  1758. 

Elizabeth,  "     Sept.  28,  1760. 

William,  "    July     27,  1762. 

Rebekah,  "    Mar.  26,  1765. 

*Died  Oct.  22,  1791,  aet.  60. 


HARDY,  PHINEAS*  and  ABIGAIL. 
Elizabeth,  born   at  Bradford  July  22,  1750. 
Martha,  born  June  24,  1752- 

Phineas,  "    June   25,  1754- 

Thomas,  "    June   ii,  1756. 

Noah,  "     Sept.  17,  1758. 

Jesse,  "    Dec.   19,  1760. 

Isaac,  "    July     9,  1763. 

Moses,  "     May   17,  1765. 

Solomon,  "     Aug.    i,  1767. 

*Died  March  7,  1813,  xt.  86. 


HARCY,  LEMUEL  and  HANNAH   JEWETT. 


Silas, 

Hannah, 

Susannah, 

Rebekah, 

Mary, 

David, 

Sarah, 


born  Mar.  13,  1763. 
"  May  n,  1765. 
"  July  17,  1767. 
"  Sept.  10,  1769. 
"  Feb.  10,  1772. 
"  June  19,  1775. 
"  Mar.  24,  1777. 


HARDY,  AARON  and  ABIGAIL  DUTTON. 
Aaron,  born  Oct.    24,  1771. 

Reuben,  "    Aug.  28,  1773. 

Abigail,  "     Oct.     12,  1775. 

*Died  Dec.  26, 1775,  aet.  33. 


*Died  Sept.  26,  1821,  aet.  82. 


HARDY,  NEHEMIAH  and  ABIGAIL. 

Married  March  29, 1780. 
Nehemiah,  born  Apr.  10,  1781. 

Kendall,  "     Apr.  30,  1785. 

ohn,  "     Sept.  27,  1787. 

Mary,  "     May     9,  1792. 


FAMILY    REGISTERS. 


377 


HARDY,  ISAAC  and  SUBMIT  WHEAT. 
Married  Nov.  13,  1788. 

Isaac,                                born  Sept.   9,  1789. 
Abraham  T.,                       "    May     7,  1794. 

HARDY,  ISAAC  and  MBHITABLE  BOYNTON. 
Married  July  3,  1794. 

•  Jacob,                               born  Nov.  14,  1795. 
John  B.,                                 "     Nov.     6,  1797. 

HARDY,  JESSE  and  RJIODA  WOOD. 

Jesse,                                  born  July    20,  1794. 
Joel,                                        "     Feb.    16,  1796. 
Amos,                                    "     Aug.  12,  1797. 
Eli,                                         "    Sept.  16,  1799. 
Luther,                                   "    Dec.   20,  1802. 
Phineas,                                 "    April  29,  1805. 
Daniel,                                   "     Sept.    8,  1808. 

HARRIS,  JOB  and  ELEANOR  HARRIS. 

Married  Feb.  14,  1764. 

Joseph,                               bern  May     16,  1764. 
Mary,                                     "    May      2,  1767. 
Simon,                                   "     Mar.   26,  1770. 

HARDY,  PHINEAS*  and   SIBBKL    SHATTUCK. 

Isaac,                                  born  Nov.  17,  7783. 
Noah,                                   "    Mar.  23,  1785. 
Sibbel,                                    "     Aug.    5,  1787. 
Hannah,                                 "    Sept.  29,  1789. 
James,                                    "    Sept.    7,  1793. 
Submit,                                  "    May    13,  1795. 
Samuel  L.,                             "    May    18,  1798. 
Elizabeth,                             "    April  13,  1803. 
John  G.,                                   "     April   7,  1805. 

*Died  May  7,  1835,  3et.  Si. 

HASKKLL,  JOSEPH  and  ANNA. 

Betsey,                                born  Sept.  20.  1778. 
Joseph,                                   "    Feb.     6,  1780. 
Jane,                                       "    Sept.  27,  1781. 
Jeremiah,                               "    Aug.  31,  1784. 
David,                                    "     Mar.  21,  1786. 

HARDY,  ENOS*  and  MARY  LUND. 
Married  Nov.  10,  1797. 

Mary,                                    "    Dec.     3,  1798. 
Ephraim  L.,                         "    Oct.     14,  1801. 
Alvah,                                    "     Sept.  16,  1803. 
Levi,                                     "    Sept.  16,  1807. 
Louisa,                                 "    Feb.    10,  1811. 
Sarah  Ann,                            "    Mar.   21,  1816. 

*Died  May  18,  1857,  **•  %. 

HAZELTON,  STEPHEN  and  MARY. 

Stephen,                             born  May  25,  1749. 
Mary,                                     "    Dec.    31,  1754. 
John,                                       "    June     8,  1757. 

HAZELTON,  SAMUEL  and  MOLLY. 

Benjamin,                          born  Feb.  25,  1762. 
Mary,                                    "    Feb.  23,  1764. 
Rebecca,                              "    Nov.  27,  1765. 

HARDY,  MOSES  and  ABIGAIL  WHEAT. 
Married  Nov.  9,  1790. 

Moses,                                born  April    i,  1791,  d. 
Thomas  W.,                          "    Jan.      6,  1794. 
Moses,                                    "    Sept.    4,  1795. 
John,                                       "    Sept.  24,  1797. 
Reuben,                                 "    Sept.   12,  1799. 
Abigail,                                 "     Oct.      3,  1801. 
Phineas,                                  "     May     i,  1803. 
Leonard,                              ••    Jan.    20,  1806. 
Nathaniel,                             "    June    27,  1808. 
Joseph  W.,                            "    June    21,  1813. 

HAZBLTON,  STEPHEN,  Jun.,  and  ESTHER 
HILDRETH. 

Married  Sept.  15,  1774. 

Esther,                                born  Feb.    7,  1775. 
Stephen,                                 "    Aug.  20,  1777. 
Elizabeth,                              "     Oct.    24,  1779. 
Rebekah,                               "     Oct.      S,  1783. 
Anna,                                     "    April  jo,  1785. 

HOBART,  Col.  DAVID  and  SARAH. 

Sarah,                                 born  Jan.    15,  1745. 
Peter,                                    '•    Dec.    22,  1747. 
Eunice,                                   "     Feb.     5,  1749. 

HARDY,  JESSE  and  RBBEKAH   BAYLBY. 
Married  Jan.  3,  1788. 

Rebekah,                            born  Feb.     6,  1789. 
Martha,                                  <«    Aug.  16,  1790. 

HOBART,  GERSHOM   and  ALEPHIA. 

Mary,                                  born  Oct.    16,  1754. 
Alephia,                                 "    Dec.  29,  1755. 

378 


FAMILY    REGISTERS. 


HOBART,  JONATHAN  and  LYDIA. 
Jonathan,                            born  May  24,  1753. 
Joshua,                                 "    Dec.     6,  1754. 
Joseph,                                   "     May     7,  1757. 
Lydia,                                     "     Feb.   24,  1760. 
Jacob,                                     "    May    24,  1762. 
Isaac,                                      "    June   13,  1764. 
Ruth,                                         "     April    I,  1767. 
Asa,                                        "     Aug.  10,  1769. 
Sarah,                                     "     Sept.  27,  1771. 

JAOUITH,  EBENEZER  and  RUTH. 
Ebenezer,                            born  Feb.    6,  1777. 

JEWETT,  SAMUEL*  and  SARAH. 

Sarah,                                 born  Mar.    7,  1749. 
Mary,                                        "    April  22,  1751. 
Ruth,                                    "    May   10,  1753. 
Samuel,                                  "    Jan.      i,  1756. 
Esther,                                    "    June   29,  1758. 
Jacob,                                      «'     Oct.    30,  1760. 
John,                                       "    April  4,  1763. 
Lucy,                                    "    April  28,  1766. 

*Died  Dec.  29,  1791,  aet.  65. 

HOBART,  JONATHAN,  Jun.,  and  ELIZABETH 
LAKIN. 
Married  Jan.  17,  1782. 
Elizabeth,                           born  Nov.  24,  1782. 
Sarah,                                     "     Oct.     18,  1784. 
Susannah,                              "     Sept.    3,  1786. 
Polly,                                    "    Oct.    23,  1788. 
Jonathan,                               "     Sept.  27,  1793. 
Joshua,                                   "    July     13,  1796. 

JEWETT,    Dea.  STEPHEN*  and    HANNAH 
(FARWELL)  CUMINGS. 

Stephen,                              born  Oct.   14,  1753. 
Rebekah,                                "    Jan.    14,  1756. 
Noah,                                      "     Feb.   n,  1758. 
Jonathan,                               "    July    25,  1760. 
Lois,                                       "     May   21,  1763. 

*Died  May  23,  1803,  aet.  75. 

HOLDEN,  DAVID,  Jun.,  and  BRIDGET  ATWELL. 
Married  Jan.  I,  1/89. 
David,                                 born  July    31,  1789. 
Cumings,                               "    Aug.  16,  1790. 
Phineas  H.,                           "    May     6,  1792. 

JEWETT,  EZEKIEL  and  LUCY  TOWNSEND. 
Married  Feb.  23,  1758. 

Susannah,                           born  Dec.   n,  1758. 
Nathaniel,                              "     April  27,  1760. 
Isaac,                                      "    July     5,  1763. 

JEWETT,  EZEKIEL  and    ANNA    WILLIAMS. 

Married  Feb.  28,  1765. 
Ezekiel,                              born  May     i,  1766. 
William,                                 "     Sept.    i,  1768. 

HOPKINS,   RICHARD  and  MARY. 
Mary,                                  born  Oct.     8,  1763. 
Richard,                                 "    June    12,  1765. 
Hannah,                                 "     April  4,  1769. 
Elizabeth,                              "    Aug.    7,  1773. 
Achsah,                                  "    June   20,  1775. 

How,  EPHRAIM  and  MARY. 

Nicholas,                           born  May    12,  1781. 
Ephraim,                               "    April  19,  1783. 
Mary,                                      "    June   26,  1785. 
Betsey,                                   "     May    30,  1787. 
John,                                       "     Oct.     11,  1789. 
Joseph,                                   "     Feb.    16,  1792. 
Sarah,                                     "    June   16,  1794. 
Isaac,                                      "     Dec.    28,  1797. 
Samuel,                                  "    Aug.  25,  1799. 

JEWETT,  JAMES*  and  MARGARET. 

Ruth,                                   born  Sept.    3,  1755. 
Margaret,                               "     Oct.    18,  1758. 
Eunice,                                   "     Sept.  24,  1761. 

*Died  April  9,  iSoS,  set.  85. 

JEWETT,    Lieut.  EBENEZER*  and  MARY 

RlDEOUT. 

Married  March  15,  1792. 
Ebenezer,                           born  Feb.    13,  1793. 
Polly,                                      "     Sept.    i,  1794. 
Nathaniel,                              "    July    21,  1796. 
James,                                     "    Mar.  29,  1799. 
Francis,                                  "     May  26,  1801. 
Susannah,                               "     Dec.   16,  1803. 
Lydia,                                     "    April  26,  1806. 
*Died  Oct.  6,  i8a5,  Jet.  83. 

JAQUITH,  THOMAS  and  RHODA  STAULDING. 
Married  Dec.  25,  1776. 
Rhoda,                                 born  Nov.  28,  1777. 
Thomas,                                 "     Sept.    5,  1779. 
Enoch,                                    "    April  9,  1781. 
Daniel,                                    "     Mar.    9,  1783. 
Rebekah,                                •'    April  12,  1786. 
Asa,                                         "     Dec.  31,  1788. 
Isaac,                                      "     Apr.  25,  1791. 

FAMILY   REGISTERS. 


379 


JEWETT,  JACOB*  and  MEHITABLE  MITCHELL. 

Abigail,                             born  June  14,  1763. 
Mehitable,                              "     Mar.    9,  1765. 
Susannah,                              "     Feb.    14,  1767. 
Hannah,                                 "    July    20,  1770. 
Daniel,                                    "    July    20,  1772. 
Ruth,                                       "     Sept.  27,  1774. 
Nathaniel,                              "    Jan.      I,  1777. 
Sarah,                                      "     Mar.  27,  1779. 
Elizabeth,                              "    June  28,  1781. 
Jacob,                                    "    Mar.    7,  1784. 

*Died  April  23,  1813,  aet.  76. 

JOHNSON,  JONATHAN  and  SARAH. 

Elizabeth,                         born  Aug.   4,  1754. 
Sarah,                                     "    May  30,  1756. 
Mary,                                      '•    April  29,  1758. 
Jonathan,                                "    June   14,  1760. 
Hannah,                                 «•    June     4,  1762. 
David,                                     «•    July     4,  1764. 

KEMP,    ZERUBBABEL    and    ABIGAIL 
LAWRENCE. 
Married  Nov.  23,  1737. 

Zerubbabel,                      born  Feb.  34,  1748. 
Zechariah,                            "    July   26,  1750. 

KEMP,  ZERUBBABEL  and  HANNAH  COLBURK. 
Married  April  20,  1758. 

Sarah,                                  born  Jan.    30,  1759. 
John,                                     "    May   26,  1761. 

JEWETT,  JACOB,  Jun.,   and  ELIZABETH 
CUVINGS. 

James,                               born  Aug.  22,  1767. 
John,                                       "    July      2,  1769. 
Jacob,                                    "    June   14,  1770. 
David,                                     "    Aug.  16,  1773. 
Elizabeth,                            "    Oct.    15,  1775. 
Lucy,                                    "    Aug.    9,  1777. 
Ralph  W.,                             "     Dec.     8,  1779. 
Leonard,                                "     Oct.  \  2,  1787. 

KEMP,  THOMAS  and  MEHITABLE  LOVEJOY. 
Married  Oct.  5,  1769. 

Mehitable,                           born  Jan.   28,  1771. 
Thomas,                                "    May  21,  1775. 
Asa,                                         "     April  18,  1777. 
William,                                 "    July    26,  1779. 
Zerubbabel,  j  twing>           „    Jan     JO>  ^ 
John, 
Aaron,                                    "    April  13,  1785. 
Mindwell,                               "    July    10,  1787. 

KEMP,  THOMAS  and  HANNAH  HOBART. 

Levi,                                  born  Sept.   6,  1793. 
Ralph,                                     "    Mar.  28,  1796. 

JEWETT,  JAMES,  Jun.,  and  Lucy  FARLEY. 
Married  June  16,  1789. 

James,                                 born  Sept.  13,  1789. 
Cumings,                               "     Mar.     i,  1793. 

JEWETT,  Dea.  STEPHEN,  Jun.,  and  ELIZABETH 
POOL. 

Married  Nor.  16,  1778. 

Elizabeth,                          born  June    18,1779. 
Stephen,                                 "    July      7,  1781. 
Nancy,                                  "    May   11,  1783. 
Hannah,                                 "     Feb.  17,  1785. 
William  P.,                           "     Feb.   26,  1787,  d. 
William  P.,                           "     Feb.     4,  1789. 
Sarah,                                     "     Feb.   24,  1790. 
Polly,                                      "    July      8,  1792. 
Noah,"                                      "     Dec.   17,  1794. 
Samuel  G.,                            "     Oct.    29,  1798. 

*Died  Feb.  22,  1829,  aet.  75. 

KENDALL,  EBENEZER  and  MARTHA. 

Ebenezer,                           born  May    11,1765. 
Martha,                                   "    June  26,  1767. 
John  W.,                                 "     Dec.    16,  1769. 
Hacy,                                      "    June     2,  1772. 

KENDALL,  HEZEKIAH  and  ABIGAIL. 

Abigail,                              born  Aug.  26,  1793. 
Luther,                                    "    May   15,  1802. 
Lucy,                                    "    Mar.  15,  1804. 
Willard,                                 "    Jan.      7,  1806. 
Walter,                                   "    July   11,  iSoS. 

JEWETT,  JOHN  and  JANE  AMES. 
Married  Nor.  29,  1795. 

John,                                    born  Sept.  13,  1796. 
Jeremiah  A.,                          "     May     2,  1798. 

KENDRICK,  Capt.  DANIBL  and   MARY  POOL  • 
Married  F«b  15,  1782. 

Daniel,                                 born  Mar.  30,  1785. 
William  P.,                           "    June  20,  1704. 

38o 


FAMILY    REGISTERS. 


KEYES,  ABNER  and  MARY. 

Sarah,                                  born  Sept.    3,  1764. 
Mary,                                      "     Aug.  14,  1766. 
Hannah,                                 "    July    14,  1768. 
Abigail,                                  "    July     2,  1770. 
Esther,                                    "    Aug.  24,  1772. 
Anna,                                        "     Sept.  15,  1774. 
William,                                 "     Oct.    12,  1776. 
Rebekah,                                "    July    31,  1778. 
Abner,                                    "     Aug.    2,  1780. 
Elizabeth,                              "     Dec.     9,  1782. 
Ruth,                                      "     Feb.   21,  1785. 

LAWRENCE,  DANIEL  and  POLLY  JOHNSON. 
Married  May  6,  1790. 
Polly,                                  born  June  16,  1791. 
Betsey,                                 "    Oct.    20,  1792. 
Charlotte,                               "     Sept.    5,  1794. 
Ruth,                                      "    Nov.  21,  1796. 
Daniel,                                    "    April  7,  1798. 
Abigail,                                 "    June   10,  1800. 
Mark,                                     "    Aug.  20,  1801. 
Luke,                                      "    April  14,  1803. 
Louisa,                                   "     June   14,  1807. 
Caroline,                                "    Mar.  23,  1810. 

KINNEY,  ISRAEL  and  HANNAH. 

Rebekah,                            born  Sept.  19,  1766. 
Israel,                                     "     Sept.  14,  1768. 
Hannah,                                 "    May     3,  1771. 
•  Phebe,                                   "    Feb.   14,  1773. 
Moses,                                    "    Oct.    18,  1775. 
Aaron,                                    "    Jan.     10,  1778. 
Polly,                                      "    Jan.     22,  1781. 
Susannah,                              "     Jan.      5,  1783. 
Edah,                                      "     Nov.     i,  1785. 

LEEMAN,   ABRAHAM    and    ELIZABETH 
HASTINGS. 
Married  Jan.  30,  1745. 
Elizabeth,                          born  Feb.  24,  1746. 
Mary,                                      •'    June     3,  1748. 
Hannah,                                 "    July  26,  1750,  d. 
Hannah,                                 "    Oct.      i,  1751. 
Submit,                                   "    June     4,  1753. 
Abraham,                              "     Sept.    8,  1754. 
Esther,                                   "    Aug.    8,  1756. 
Abigail,                                  "     May     S,  1758. 
Dorcas,                                   "    July   13,  1760. 

LAWRENCE,  ZACH.  and  SARAH  LAWRENCE. 

Married  Dec.  5,  1734- 
Peter,                                 born  Aug.  20,  17451  d. 
Zachariah,                             "    July    12,  1747. 
Jonas,                                      "    Oct.    19,  1751. 
Peter,                                      "     Oct.      8,  1753. 
Josiah,                                    ••    Nov.    2,  1756. 

LEEMAN,  SAMUEL  and  LOVE  WHEELER. 
Married  Nov.  7,  1746. 
Mehitable,                          born  Sept.  26,  1747. 
Samuel,                                  "    Aug.    7,  1749. 
Love,                                      "    Nov.     i,  1752. 
Mary,                                      "    Nov.    9,  1754. 
Hannah,                                 "    July     2,  1757. 
Nathaniel,                             "     Aug.    6,  1759. 
Lydia,                                     "    Dec.     9,  1761. 
Sarah,                                     «'    Aug.  31,  1764. 
Abraham,                               "    May    13,  1769. 

LAWRENCE,  OLIVER*  and  MARY  CUMINGS. 
Married  Dec.  27,  1752. 
Mary,                                  born  Nov.    4,  1753. 
Oliver,                                    "     Oct.      7,  1755. 
Peleg,                                     "    Aug.  17,  1757. 
Noah,                                     "    Nov.  30,  1760. 
Daniel,                                   "     April  26,  1762. 
Silas,                                      "    June   19,  1764. 
Molly,                                    "    May  25,  1767. 
Amos,                                    "    Aug.    6,  1769. 
Eben,                                    "    Oct.    25,  1771. 
Aaron,                                    "    May     5,  1774. 
Sarah,                                   "    Oct.     4,  1777. 

*Died  April  2,  1797,  aet.  68. 

LESLEY,  JONAS  and  ELIZABETH  Dow. 
Married  Jan.  13,  1774. 
Elizabeth,                           born  Nov.  5,  1774. 
onas,                                      "    Mar.    i,  1776. 
Samuel,                                   "     Feb.  23,  1778. 
Sarah,                                      "    Feb.  25,  1780. 
oseph,                                    "    April  7,  1782. 
George,                                 "    Feb.    *,  1785. 

LOVEJOY,  CHRISTOPHER  and  ANNA. 
Anna,                                  born  May  26,  1743. 
Christopher,                          "    Oct.  22,  1745. 
Abial,                                     "    April  28,  1749. 
Hehitable,                              "     Mar.  10,  1751. 
Benjamin,                              "    Dec.  25,  1753. 
Obadiah,                               "    June  13,  1756. 
ohn,                                     "    M^y     2,  1758. 

LAWRENCE,  ZACHARIAH,  Jun.,  and  REBECCA 
POWERS. 
Married  Nov.  22,  1769. 
Daniel,                                born  Oct.  13,  1772. 
Zachariah,                              "    July   18,  1777. 
Sarah,                                    "    Oct.   10,  1779. 
Rebecca,                               "    June  13,  1784. 

FAMILY    REGISTERS. 


LOVEJOY,  JONATHAN  and  MARY. 

Jonathan,                             born  May  33,  1742,  d. 
Phineas,                                 "    Nov.  23,  1744. 
Daniel,                                    "     Feb.  23,  1746. 
Mary,                                      "     Sept.  27,  1747. 
Simeon,                                  "    June     6,  1750. 
Jacob,                                    "    Feb.  17,  1752. 
Jonathan,                              "    July     3,  1754. 
Abial,                                   "    Aug.    3,  1756. 
Asa,                                        "    Jan.    28,  1758. 
Abel,                                     «'    May     6,  1760. 
Elizabeth,                              "    Mar.  34,  1762. 

MARTIN,  STEPH'N  and  PATIENCE  WORCESTER 
Married  May  21,  1759. 
Anna,                                  born  Mar.  3,  1760. 
Jirah,                                       "    June   u,  1762. 
Elisha,                                    "     Sept.  22,  1764. 
Peter,                                    "    May  27,  1768. 

MELVIN,  JONATHAN  and  MARY  BROOKS. 
Married  Dec.  4,  1750. 
Jonathan,                          born  Jan.  14,  1753. 

MELVIN,  EBENEZER  and  SUSANNAH. 

Ebenezer,                         born  Dec.  38,  1752. 
Nathan,                                  "    Nov.  30,  1755. 
Eunice,                               •  "    Feb.     9,  1759. 
Daniel,                                    "    Sept.   8,  1761. 
Susannah,                            "    Oct.  33,  1764. 
Seth,                                     "    April  28,  1767. 
Enoch,                                    "    Aug.  30,  1769. 

LOVEJOY,  DANIEL  and  SARAH  WYMAN. 
Married  Nov.  19,  1767. 
Daniel,                                born  Aug.   2,  1768. 
Samuel,                                  "    July     4,  1770. 
Stephen,                                "    May  22,  1773. 
Sarah,                                     "    June   36,  1775. 
Phineas,                                 "    NOT.  n,  1778. 
Polly,                                      "    Oct.    16,  1784. 
Ralph,                                    "    Jan.      3,  1788. 

MESSKR,  BENJAMIN  and  MARY. 
Benjamin,                         born  Mar.  37,  1784. 

LOVEJOY,  ASA  and  LYDIA  NEVINS. 
Lydia,                                  born  Nov.  18,  1783. 
William  Nevins,                  "    Aug.  17,  1785. 
Elizabeth,                            "    July    38,  1787. 
Polly,                                      «'    Nov.    8,  1789. 
Rebecca,                              "    Sept.  13,  1793. 

MERRILL,  DANIEL  and  MARY  SMITH. 

Margaret,                          born  Nov.  15,  1756.  d. 
Samuel,                                  "    Jan.      i,  1759. 
Daniel,                                 "    Mar.  31,  1761. 
Henry,                                    "    July    17,  1763. 
Mary,      ) 
Ruth,       i   twins'                   '    Dec-     7-  '76S- 
Betty,                                      "    April  17,  1768. 
William,                                "    Feb.    15,  1770. 
Abigail,                                 "    May   13,  1772. 
Margaret,                            "    Feb.     i,  1776. 

LUND,  EPHRAIM  and  ALICE  WHEELER. 
Married  May  12,  1772. 
Hannah,                              born  Sept.   7,  1772. 
Sarah,                                   "    Mar.    8,  1774. 
Alice,                                      "     April  19,  1776. 
Mary,                                      "    May   »i,  1778. 
Ephraim,                                "    Aug.  14,  1780. 
Stephen,                                 "     Oct.    29,  1783. 
Ebenezer,                               "    July    10,  1786. 

MERRILL,   SAMUEL  and  MARY. 

Daniel,                               born  July       i,  1780. 
Samuel,                                  "    Aug.  16,  1782. 
Isaac,                                   "    June   15,  1784. 
Mary,                                     "    Mar.   14,  1787. 
Elizabeth,                              "    June    n,  1791. 

MCDONALD,  JAMES*  and  SUSANNAH. 
Roxanna,                          born  July   19,  1752. 
Randall,                                 "    April  14,  1754. 
Susannah,                              "    Jan.     18,  1756. 
Lucy,                                    "    Feb.     8,  1758. 
Mary,                                      "    April   5,  1760. 
Elizabeth,                              "    Nov.  10,  1761. 
James,                                   "    Jan.    19,  1764. 
John,                                       "    June     5,  1766. 
*Died  April  n,  iSoi,  *t.  83. 

MERRILL,  DANIEL*  and  PHEBE  Dow. 
Married  Oct.  19,  1789. 
Daniel,                              born  Sept.    i,  1790. 
William,                                "    June    10,  1793. 
Lydia,                                     "    Nov.    9,  1794. 
Mary,                                      "    Sept.  13,  1798. 
Evan,                                    "    Sept.  24,  1802. 
Mark,                                   "    Sept.  30,  1806. 

*Died  Sept.  15,  1852,  set  91. 

MARTIN,  STEPHEN  and  ANNA. 
Stephen,                            born  Sept.  12,  1749. 
Jesse,                                  "    Aug.    i,  1754. 

382 


FAMILY    REGISTERS. 


MERRILL,   Lieut.   WILLIAM    and    DOLLY 
SMITH. 

Married  Feb.  27,  1794. 
Hannah,                            born  Feb.    9,  1795. 
William  S.,                         "    Sept.  24,  1797. 
Miranda,                              "    Mar.  n,  1800. 

MOEHER,  ABIJAH  and  HANNAH. 

George,                             born  Feb.   19,  1777. 
Hannah,                                 "    Oct.      6,  1781,  d_ 
Sally,                                    "    Sept.  12,  1783. 
Hannah,                                 "    Mar.  12,  1786.. 

NEVINS,  THOMAS  and  BRIDGET   SNOMT. 
Married  1745. 
Bridget,                            born  Dec.   21,  1746. 
Thomas,                                 «'    May  25,  1748. 

MOOAR,  DANIEL  and  ANNA. 

Anna,                                born  Dec.  28,  1751. 
Martha,                                  "    Nov.     2,  1753. 
Daniel,                                   "    July    23,  1757. 
Jacob,                                      "    April    8,  1761. 
Sarah,                                   "    Mar.  11,  1764. 

NEVINS,  WILLIAM*  and    MARY. 

William,                             born  July    26,  1746. 
Joseph,                                   "    July    20,  1748. 
Benjamin,                              "    Aug.  15,  1750. 
Mary,                                      '•    Aug.    2,  1752. 
John,                                       "     Feb.   26,  1755. 
Phineas,                                 "     Feb.   23,  1758. 
Lydia,                                     "    July    16,  1760. 
Elizabeth,                            "    Oct.          1762. 

*Died  Feb.  15,  1785,  set.  66. 

MOOAR,  DANIEL,  Jun.,  and  LYDIA  NEVINS. 

Daniel,                              born  Mar.  23,  1781. 
Isaac,                                      "     Feb.    14,  1753. 
David,                                   "    Oct.     6,  1785. 
Patty,                                      "    June   12,  1788. 
Nathan,                                "    Feb.   19,  1791. 
Ephraim,                               ••    April  26,  1794. 
Sally,                                    "    July    15,  1797. 

NEVINS,   DAVID  and  Lois  PATCH. 

john,                                   born  Oct.     12,  1748,  d. 
Margaret,                             "    Feb.     3,  1752- 
Lois,                                     "    Sept.  16,  1753. 
John,                                       "    April  18,  1755. 
David,                                     "    July      7,  1758. 

MOOAR,  JACOB*  and  HANNAH  SHATTUCK. 
Married  Jan.  15,  1784. 
Jacob,                                 born  July  29,1784. 
Abel,                                       "    Jan.    25,  1786. 
Hannah,                                 "     Oct.    21,  1787. 
Nathan,                                  "    Aug.  12,  1789. 

MOOAR,  JACOB  and  DORCAS  HOOD. 
Married  May  20,  1794. 
Gardner,                           born  Jan.      4,  1795. 
John,                                       "     Aug.  11,  1796. 
Dorcas,                                   "    Aug.   21,  1798. 
Betsey,                                 "    Sept.    7,  1800. 
David,                                     "    April  15,  1802. 
Jason,                                     "    Jan.       i,  1804. 
Louisa,                                   "    July    28,  1806. 
Luke,                                    "    July    18,  iSoS. 
Sally,                                      "    July      8,  1810. 
Mark,                                      "     Feb.   23,  1813. 
Daniel,                                   "     May   n,  1815. 
*Died  Feb.  2,  1828,  set.  66. 

NEVINS,  Ensign  WILLIAM*    and    REBECCA 
CHAMBERLAIN. 
Married  March  24,  1768. 
Susannah,                             born  Dec.  2,  1776. 
*Died  1776,  aet.  30. 

NEVINS,  JOSEPH  and   SARAH  POWERS. 
Married  Feb.  20,  1772. 
Sarah,                                  born  Dec.     3,  1772,  d. 
Joseph,                                   "    June   10,  1774,  d.. 
Phineas,                                 "    May     5,  1776. 
Sarah,                                     "    Dec.    17,  1777. 
Hannah,                                 "    June    13,  1779. 
Hepzibah,                              "    June     6,  1781. 

NEVINS,  JOSEPH  and  LUCY  SAWTELL. 
Lucy,                                   born  Dec.   30,  1783. 
Polly,                                      «    July     4,  1786. 
Ama,                                       "     Mar.  23,  1789. 
Gardner,                                "     Feb.    18,  1/92,  d 
Mitte,                                     ••     Mar.    16,  1794. 
Gardner,                                 "    Feb.     6,  1797. 
Sukey,                                    "    April  12,  1799. 
Joseph,                                   "    April    8,  1801. 

MOSHER,  JAMES  and  EUNICE  BLOOD. 
Married  May  7,  1770. 
Catharine,                         born  Mar.    9,  1772. 
Jacob,                                   "    June     3,  1774. 
Sarah,                                     "    April    2,  1777. 
John,                                     "    May  31,  1779. 
Mary,                                      "    Jan.    23,  1783. 
Betty,       i 
Eunice,   j    twins'                   '    St&-  K,  '786. 

FAMILY   REGISTERS. 


KEVINS,  BENJAMIN  and  ANNIS  MOORE. 
Married  Feb.  9,  1775. 

Patty,                                  born  Dec.     7,  1775. 
Benjamin,                              "    Oct.      5,  1777. 
Lydia,                                     •'    April   7,  1780. 
Sarah,                                     ««    May  25,  1783. 
William,                                »     Mar.     5,  1786. 

PARKER,  BENJAMIN  WOODS  and  DEBORAH 
GETCHELL. 
Mary  B.,                             born  July     7,1811. 
Joseph  D.,                             "    April  17,  1814. 

PARKER,  Capt.   ISAAC*  and  OLIVE  ABBOTT 
Olive,                                  born  June  37,  1795. 
Hannah,                                 "     May    29,  1797. 
Achsah,                                 ««    June   34,  1799. 
Isaac,                                   "    April  13,  iSoi. 
John,                                       »    July   30,  1803. 

*Died  Dec.  33,  1857,  aet.  S8. 

NOYES,  Dea.  ENOCH*  and   ELIZABETH. 

Elizabeth,                         born  Jan.    ao,  1749. 
Lucy,                                    "    Feb.   16,  1752. 
Enoch,                                   "    Aug.  31,  1754. 
Hannah,                                 "     Oct.    34,  1756. 
Elijah,                                  "    Oct.     3,  1758. 
Benjamin,                              "     Dec.    13,  1760,  d. 
Jane,                                        "    Aug.    i,  1762. 
Rebecca,                                 "     April  23,  1765. 
Benjamin,                              "     Oct.      6,  1767. 
*Died  Sept.,  1796,   set.  80. 

PATCH,  Dea.  THOMAS*  and  ANNA  GILSON. 
Married  March  35,  1742. 
Anna,                                 born  Nov.   20,  1742. 
Thomas,                                 "    Jan.     17,  1745. 
Sarah,                                     "     Mar.    9,  1746. 
Joseph,                                   "    Aug.  24,  1749. 
David,                                     "    Aug.    2,  1751. 
Daniel,                                 "'  Oct.     9,  1753. 

*Died  May  i,  1754,  zt.  40. 

PARKER,  SAMUEL  and  MARY. 

Samuel,                             born  April  7,  1740. 
Eleazer,                                 »    Mar.  30,  1744. 
Lemuel,                                  «    Mar.    4,  1747. 
Lucy,                                       «     Mar.  29,  1750. 
Mary,                                      "     Mar.  37,  1753. 
Esther,                                 "    May  21,  1755. 

PATCH,  THOMAS,*  Jun.,  and  MOLLY. 

Thomas,                              born  Oct.   10,  1771. 
Molly,                                     "     Mar.     i,  1773. 
Lydia,                                     •«    Sept    21,  1774. 
Richard,                                 "     May  26,  1776. 
David,                                     "     Oct.      6,  1778. 
Rachel,                                   "    May  27,  1780. 
Sarah,                                     "    Aug.  21,  1782. 
Daniel,                                   "    Sept.    7,  1784. 
Joseph,                                 "    Mar.    4,  1791. 
*Died  Nov.  7,  1828,  aet.  85. 

PARKER,   BENJAMIN*  and  ALICE  WOODS. 

Sarah,                                  born  Dec.     3,  1763. 
Benjamin  Woods,                "     Sept.  27,  1765. 
Patience,                                "    Feb.     5,  1769. 
Ebenezer,                             "    July     5,  1772. 
*Died  Feb.  7,  1803,  wt.  82. 

PARKER,  STEPHEN  and  RACHEL. 

Jane,                                    born  Nov.    8,  1781. 
John  B.,                                  «    Aug.    4,  1786. 

PHELPS,  FRANCIS  and    PHEBB. 
Francis,                              born  Aug.  15,  1743. 
Timothy,                                "    Sept.  10,  1745. 
Joseph,                                   "    June    19,  1748. 
Phebe,                                    "     May     6,  1750. 

PARKER,  BENJAMIN  WOODS*  and  ALICE 
PRATT. 

Married  Nov.  9,  1788. 

Benjamin  W.,                    born  Mar.   8,  1789. 
Olive,                                      ••    Nov.     4,  1790. 
Calvin,                                    "    July    20,  1792. 
John  Manly,                          "    Mar.  31,  1704. 
Luther,                                   <<    Mar.  19,  1796. 
Lucinda,                                 "    July    16,  1797. 
Hiram,                                    "    April   6,  1799. 
George  W.,                          "    Feb.  27,  1801. 

*Died  Jan.  3,  1830,  aet.  64. 

PHELPS,  JOHN  and  DEBORAH. 
John,                                   born  April  30,  1744. 
Sarah,                                       '<    July    31,  1746. 
Nathan,                                  "     Sept.    i,  1749. 
Henry,                                    "     April  18,  1751. 

PHELPS,  JOHN  and  MARY   I,  AKIN. 

Simeon  Lakin,                   born  Mar.    4,  1783. 
Sally,                                       "    June     5,  1785. 
Luther,                                   "    June    17,  1787. 
Betsey,                                  "    Sept.    7,  1789. 

3^4 


FAMILY    REGISTERS. 


PHELPS,  NATHAN   and  MARY  FLKTCHKR. 
Nathan,                              born  Feb.    i,  1780. 
William  Fletcher,               "    Sept.  16,  1781. 
Mary,                                    "    Sept.  14,  1783. 
Lucy,                                    "    Jan.    12,  1786. 
Thankful,                              "     Sept.  27,  1788. 
Susannah,                              "    July    24,  1792. 
Leonard,                                "•    Oct.    12,  1795. 
Zeruiah,                                "    May  10,  1800. 

PIERCE,  SOLOMON  and  LUCY  PARKER. 
Married  March  19,  1771. 

Solomon,                          born  Sept.    2,  1771. 
Lemuel,                                 "    June    13,  1773. 
Eleazar,                                 "    April  4,  1775. 
Lucy,                                      "    Jan.    n,  1777. 
Mary,                                      "    Jan.      i,  1779. 
Hannah,                                "    Mar.  n,  1781. 
Samuel,                                "    May  30,  1783. 
Simon,                                    "    Nov.  16,  1785. 
Levi,                                     "    July     8,  1789. 
Ephraim,                                "    Mar.  29,  1792. 

PHILBRICK,  JONATHAN  and  BEULAH. 
Jonathan,                           born  July      3,  1763. 
Thomas,                                 "     Dec.     i,  1765. 
Mary,                         *          "    Feb.  16,  1768. 
Beulah,                                "    Mar.  22,  1770. 
Isaac,                                      "     Sept.    3,  1773. 
James,                                   "    May     7,  1778. 

PIERCE,  NEHEMIAH  and  MARY. 

Nehemiah,                        born  Feb.    5,  1778. 
Isaac,                                    "    Mar.  19,  1780. 
William,     ) 
Mary,          i    twinS«              '    Man  23'  17§2- 
James,                                   "    May    9,  1784. 

PHILBRICK,  JOHN  and  SARAH  JEWETT. 
Married  Dec.  6,  1770. 
John,                                    born  Sept.    3,  1771. 
Sarah,                                   "    Sept.  16,  1773. 
Mary,                                      "    Aug.  10,  1777. 
Samuel,                                  "    Aug.  22,  1779. 
Joel,                                        "    April  24,  1781. 

POOL,  WILLIAM*  and  HANNAH  NICHOLS. 
Married  June  19,1751. 

Hannah,                              born  Dec.  20,  1751. 
Elizabeth,                            "    July    18,  1753. 
Mehitable,                             "    Feb.    12,  1755. 
William  Welsted,               "    May     6,  1756. 
James,                                   "    Dec.     2,  1757. 
Abigail,                                 "    July    31,  1759. 
Sarah,                                    "    Dec.    15,  1760,  d. 
Bridget,                                 "    Aug.    5,  1762. 
Mary,                                      "    Feb.     4,  1764. 
Rebekah,                               "    Mar.  29,  1766. 
Lucy,                                    "    Sept.    6,  1768. 
Benjamin,                              "    Jan.    17,  1771. 
Bethiah,                                 "    Aug.    3,  1772. 
Sarah,                                     "     Sept.  20,  1774. 

*Died  Oct.  27,  1795,  aet.  70. 

PIERCE,  EBENEZER  and  ELIZABETH. 
Daniel,                              born  April   3,  1755. 
Mary,               •                       "    June     5,  1757. 

PIERCE,  EPHRAIM  and  ESTHER  STONE. 
Married  March  n,  1766. 
Betty,                                  born  Sept.  26,  1766. 
Mary,                                      "    Jan.    26,  1768. 
Esther,                                    "  .  May    19,  1770. 
Susannah,                              *'    April  23,  1772. 
Sarah,                                     "     Aug.  11,  1774. 
Deborah,                                "    April  n,  1776. 
Ephraini,                                 "     April  12,  1778. 
Rebekah,                               "    July    26,  1781. 
John,                                     "    May     8,  1784. 

POWERS,  Capt.  PETER*  and  ANNA  KEYKS. 

Peter,                                   born  Nov.  29,  1728. 
Stephen,                                 "     Oct.    28,  1729, 
Anna,                                      "    Mar.    9,  1732. 
Whitcomb,                           "    Oct.    10,  1733. 
Phebe,                                     "     Feb.    5,  1785. 
Alice,                                      "    Dec.  30,  1736. 
Levi,                                     "    June     3,  1739. 
Nahum,                                  "    April  n,  1741. 
Francis,                                 "    July    15,  174*- 
Fanna,                                    "    April  19,  1744,  d. 
Philip,                                    "    May  20,  1746. 
Samson,                                 "    Mar.  12,  1748- 
Fanna,                                    "    Mar.  22,  1750. 

*Died  August  27,  1757,  at.  56. 

PIERCE,  RICHARD  and  SUSANNAH   JEWETT. 
Married  May  22,  1766. 
Warner,                              born  June   22,  1767. 
Nathaniel,                              "    Jan.    12,  1769. 
Ebenezer,                             "    Feb.   18,  1771. 
Jacob,                                     "     Sept.  16,  1772. 
Susannah,                              "    July    23,  1774. 
Isaac,                                      "    June   15,  1776. 
Eunice,                                   "     Sept.   25,  1778. 
Abraham,                               "     Nov.  14,  1780. 
Abigail,                                    ••    July  34,  1783. 
Daniel,                                 '•    Dec.  28,  1788. 

FAMILY    REGISTERS. 


385 


POWERS,  STEPHEN  and  LUCY  CUMINCS. 
Married  Jan.  5,  1757. 

Lucy,                                 born  Oct.  ao,  1758. 
Stephen,                                 "    April  13,  1761. 
Rebecca,                               "    April  30,  1763. 
Peter,                                    "    April  29,  1765. 
Bridget,                                  "    Sept.    5,  >767- 
Caleb,                                   "    Sept.  15,  1769. 
WilHbm,                              "    Dec.  a8,  1771. 
Catharine,                            "    May     i,  1775. 

PRATT,  THOMAS  and    ANNA  LAWRENCE. 
Married  April  13,  1779. 

Anna,                              born  Sept.    25,  1779. 
Stephen,     i 
Susannah,  i  twins'              '    Oct-    >4,  'T**- 
John,                                     "    Feb.  18,  1791. 

PROCTOR,  MOSES*  and   MARY   BYAM. 

Mary,                                born  Dec.  31,  1741. 
Rebekah,                               "    April  15,  1744. 
Cyrus,                                    "    Sept.  13,  1745. 
Moses,                                 "    Nov.  25,  1747. 
Philip,                                    ••    Mar.  16,  1750. 

*Died  Aug.  21,  1780,  set.  73. 

-POWERS,  WHITCOMB  and  MARY  DOLLIVER 
Married  May  ao,  1755. 
Whitcomb,                         born  April  17,  1756. 

POWERS,  FRANCIS  and  ELIZABETH  CUMINGS 
Married  May  5,  1763. 

Francis  Grant,                  born  Jan.     S,  1764. 
Elizabeth,                             "     March  5,  1766. 
Anna,                                   "    Feb.     3,  1768,  d 
Philip,                                  "    Aug.  17,  1769. 
Anna,                                     "    April  13,  1771. 
Frances,                                 "    April   4,  1773. 
Lucy,                                    "    June     i,  1776,  d 
Lucy,                                      "    Mar.  13,  1779. 
James,                                   ••    Sept.  15,  1781. 
Phebe,                                   "    Jan.      i,  1784. 
Francis,                                 "    April   3,  1787. 
Levi,                                       "    Mar.  19,  1/91- 

PROCTOR,  EZEKIEL  and  ELIZABETH. 

Abijah,                               born  Aug.  13,  1772. 
Hannah,                                 «•     Dec.   16,  1774,  d. 
Ezra,                                    "    May    15,  1776. 
Hannah,                                 «    Oct.     5,  1777. 
Esther,                                 "    Jan.      7,  1781. 

PROCTOR,  CYRUS  and  SIBBEL  FARNSWORTH. 
Married  March  10,  1771. 

Cyrus,                               born  Jan.    16,  1772. 
Timothy,                               "    Mar.   n,  1774. 
Sibbel,                                    "    May    13,  1776. 
Nathaniel,                           "    Feb.   16,  1778. 
Thomas,                                ••    Jan.    31,  1780. 
Mary,                                     "    Jan.     10,  1782,  d. 
Elizabeth,                            "    Oct.  ,  25,  1783. 
I.  in  null,                                   "    June   18,  1785. 
ohn,                                       "    Jan.    25,  1787. 
Abigail,                                  "    Dec.     8,  1788- 
Amos,                                    "    June   12,  1791. 
Anna,                                     "     Sept.    ^,  1793. 
Mary,                                      "     Feb.    S,  1796. 
Susannah,                              "    June  18,  1799. 

POWERS,  SAMSON*  and  ELIZABETH  NUTTING. 
Married  August  4,  1774. 

Mary  A.,                            born  Oct.    16,  1774. 
Samson,                                 "    Jan.    17,  1777. 
Peter,                                    "    Feb.  24,  1779. 
Joel,                                      "    Aug.    8,  1781. 
Grant,                                     "    Mar.  31,  1784. 
Levi,                                       "    Mar.  ao,  1786. 
Anna,                                     "     Sept.  n,  1789. 
Ursula,                                 "    Oct.     3,  1791. 

*Died  Jan.  a,  1823,  aet.  73. 

PROCTOR,  MOSES,  Jun.,  and  RUTH  AUSTIN.. 

Moses,                               born  Sept.  15,  1786.. 
Ruth,                                    "    Mar.  18,  1788.. 
Aaron,                                    "     May     7,  1791.. 

PRATT,  THOMAS  and  CATY  CUMINGS. 
Married  Sept.  27,  1764. 
David,                               born  June    a,  1765. 
Caty,                                     "    May    9,  1767. 
Hannah,                                 "    July    39,  1769. 
Jerahmael  C.,                        "     April  u,  1773. 
Betty,                                     "    Jan.    13,  1774. 
Molly,  '                                 "    June  19,  1776. 

PROCTOR,  JOEL  and  KATY. 

oel,                                   born  June  28,  1784. 
onas,                                    "    May  24,.  1786.. 

(28) 


386 


FAMILY    REGISTERS. 


RANGER,  NEHEMIAH  and  LYDIA. 
Samuel,                               born  Oct.   24,  1773. 
Lydia,                                     "     Oct.    20,  1779. 
Asahel,                                   "    Aug.  11,  1781. 
Nehemiah,                             "    Nov.    8,  1784. 
Reuben,                                  "    June  19,  1791. 
Benjamin,                              "    Mar.  22,  1794. 

RUNNELLS,  STEPHEN  and  CHLOE  THURSTON. 
Married  Dec.  7,  1780. 

Mary,                                  born  Aug.   4,  1781. 
Stephen,                               "    Sept.   i,  1785. 

clTofM  twins'      "  Dec-<°»^ 

REED,  Capt.  WILLIAM*  and    PRISCILLA 
EMERY. 
Samuel,                               born  Feb.    8,  1763,  d. 
Polly,                                      "     Dec.     2,  1764. 
William,                                 "    July    33,  1767. 
Abel,                                       "     Mar.  23,  1769. 
Silas,                                       "    Jan.    27,  1771. 
Priscilla,                                "    June     5,  1773. 
Asa,                                        "     Nov.  27,  1775. 
Sarah,                                      "    Nov.  26,  1777. 
Uriah,                                     "    Nov.  13,  1779. 
Samuel,                                  "     Dec.    19,  1783. 
Abigail,                                  "     Feb.     i,  1786. 
*Died  July  12,  1817,  xt.  77, 

RUNNELLS,  SAMUEL  and  ABIGAIL  SMITH. 
Married  Sept.  20,  1791. 

Frederick,                          born  June  28,  1793. 
Ebenezer,                              "    July     5,  1794. 
Hannah,                                   '<    July   27,  1796. 
Persis,                                    "    Aug.  29,  1798. 
Josiah,                                    "    Dec.     i,  1800. 
Susannah,                              "    Jan.    28,  1803. 
Samuel,                                  "    June  22,  1805. 

Russ,  JONATHAN  and  LUCY  KENDALL. 
Married  Nov.  16,  1/58. 

Lucy,                                   born  May    9,  1760. 
Jonathan,                                 "     Mar.  17,  1762. 
Rachel,                                   "     May  20,  1764. 
Sarah,                                     "     Dec.   25,  1766. 
Nathan,                                  "     May  24,  1769. 
Hannah,                                    "    Jan.    20,  1772. 

REED,  JOSHUA  and  ELIZABETH. 
Elizabeth,                          born  Mar.    9,  1768. 
Joshua,                                    "    Mar.  23,  1770. 
Hannah,                                 "    June  21,  1772. 
Anna,                                      "     Feb.     3,  1774. 
Judith,                                    "     Oct.    28,  1776. 
John,                                       "     Sept.  13,  1778. 
Thomas,                                   "    Jan.      7,  1781. 

SANDERSON,  BENJAMIN*  and  ESTHER. 

David,                                   born  Jan.    23,  1773. 
Benjamin,                              "     Mar.  24,  1777. 
Jeremiah,                                "    Aug.  31,  1779. 
Ichabod,                                 "    July    21,  1782,  d. 
Submit,                                  "    June     7,  1784. 
Richard  W.,                         "     Aug.  28,  1788. 
Simon,                                       "     Mar.  20,  1790. 
Esther,                                    "    June  22,  1795. 
John,                                          "    Jan.     23,  1708 
Ichabod  W.,                          "    Dec.    S,  1802. 

*Died  Sept.  25,  1826,  aet.  So. 

RIDEOUT,  JAMES  and  MARY. 
James,                                 born  April  20,  1765. 
Polly,                                        "     Nov.  12,  1767. 
Joseph,                                    "    Jan.     7,  1771,  d. 
Esther,                                   "     Mar.    6,  1772. 
Joseph,                                   "     Mar.  27,  1774. 
Hannah,                                   "     Nov.    I,  1776. 
David,                                     "    May  23,  1779. 
Betsey,                                   "    July      i,  1783. 
Lydia,                                     "    July      i,  1787. 

RIDEOUT,    NATHANIEL    and    SUSANNAH 
SPAULDING. 

Married  Jan.  18,  1776. 

Nathaniel,                          born  May     2,  1778,  d. 
Asa,                                        "     Sept.    8,  1779. 
Samuel,                                  "    Oct.    14,  1780. 
Jonathan,                               "     Sept.  17,  1782. 
Susannah,                              "     Oct.    18,  1784. 
Diadema,                                "     Sept.  20,  1786. 
Nathaniel,                              "     Mar.    8,  1788. 
Gardner,   ) 
Huldah,    (   twins'                "    June     3,  '790- 
John,                                       "    Jan.     9,  1793. 

SAUNDERSON,  JONATHAN*  and   LUCY   POOL. 
Married  Oct.  18,  1791. 

Lucy,                                   born  Nov.  28,  1792. 
Almira,                                   "     Mar.  29,  1796,  d. 
Marinda,                                "    Mar.     i,  1798. 
Jonathan,                                "     Dec.  21,  1800,  d. 
Jonathan,                               "     Dec.   30,  1802. 
Almira,                                   "     Dec.  25,  1804. 
William  P.,                           "     Feb.  11,  1807. 
Henry  H.,                              "     Sept.  12,  1810. 

*Died  August  23,  1850,  xt.  84. 

FAMILY   REGISTERS. 


387 


SANDERSON,  DAVID  and  LAURANA  SHATTUCK. 
Married  Dec.  28,   1784. 
Peter,                                born  July  18,  1787. 

SHATTUCK,  WILLIAM  and  ZILPHA  TURNER. 
Married  April  2,  1761. 

Laurana,                             born  May   12,  1762. 
Rebekah,                              •«    May    6,  1764. 
Priscilla,                                "     Oct.      7,  1766. 
Sarah,                                   ««    May  28,  1770. 
William,                                «<    Aug.  20,  1772. 
Lemuel,                                "    Feb.  12,  1776. 

SARLL,  WILLIAM  and  HANNAH  DINSMORE. 
Married  August  6,  1747. 

Elizabeth,                         born  July  16,  1748. 
William,                                 ««    Mar.  22,  1750. 
Hannah,                                 «•    April  19,  1752,  d. 
Joseph,                                  "    May  13,  1755. 
Sarah,                                   "    Jan.     7,  1758. 
Mary,                                      "     Mar.  18,  1760. 
John,                                       "     Aug.    6,  1762. 
Jonathan,                               "     May  29,  1765. 
Hannah,                                 «    June  n,  1767. 
Lucy,                                       ••    Aug.  26,  1769. 

SHATTUCK,    ZECHARIAH    and    ELIZABETH 
FARLEY. 

Married  Nov.  28,  1771. 

Elizabeth,                         born                 '773- 
Sarah,                                     '•    May     4,  1774. 
Mary,                                      »     Mar.    9,  1776. 
Isaac,                                       "    April  9,  1778. 
Zechariah,                   t         "    July   23,  1781. 
Abel,                                     «    Sept.  21,  1782. 
Joseph,                                   •«    Jan.    20,  1785. 
Amos,                                     "    Jan.    n,  1793. 

SHANNON,  RICHARD  CUTTS  and  ELIZABETH. 

James  N.,                           born  Aug.  16,  1774. 
Elizabeth,                               "    June  12,   1776. 
Mary  Ann,                              "     Aug.  12,  1778. 
Abigail,                                  "    Oct.    21,  1780. 
John  Langdon,                      "    July     4,  1783. 
Sophia,                                   "    June    4,  1786. 

SHATTUCK,  SAMUEL  and  Lois  WHEAT. 
Married   May  5,  1791. 

Samuel,                               born  Mar.  25,  1792. 
Lois,                                       "    Oct.    20,  1793. 
Nathaniel,                             "    June   n,  1795. 
Isaac,                                      "    Jan.    25,  1799. 
William,                               "    Feb.    2,  1802. 

SHATTUCK,   ZECHARIAH*  and   ELIZABETH 
FISK. 

Married  March  3,  1747. 

Zechariah,                          born  Nov.  24,  1747. 
Elizabeth,                            "    May  15,  1750. 
Mary,                                                             1753. 
Abigail,                                  "    June   10,  1755. 
Isaac  died  in  the  army,  1776. 
Samuel, 
Sibbel,                                    "     March,     1760. 
Daniel,                                    "     Feb.   24,  1767. 
Abel,                                     "    June    3,  1769. 
Nathan,                                  "    June    9,  1774. 
*Died   March  20,  1809,  aet.  85. 

SHED,  JOHN  and  RACHEL. 

John,                                 born  June  17,  1791. 
Julia,                                      "  .Mar.   15,  1793. 
Ebenezer,                               "    Jan.    24,  1796. 

SHED,  JOHN  and  LUCY  JEWETT. 
Married  Nov.  5,  1797. 

Gardner,                             born  Oct.     9,  1708. 
Luther,                                   "    April    i,  1800. 

SHATTUCK,  WILLIAM*  and  RUTH. 

Ruth,                                  born  Nov.    i,  1739. 
William,                                "     Feb.   26,  1741. 
Mary,                                      "     Mar.    I,  1743. 

SHATTUCK    WILLIAM    and    EXPERIENCE 
CURTIS. 

Married  Nov.  26,  1/45. 

Nathaniel, 
Experience, 
*Died  March  13,  1761,  xt  47.. 

SHIPLEY,  ABEL  and  LUCY  FARLEY. 
Married  Nov.  24,  1768. 

Abel,                                 born  Oct.   28,  1769. 
Lucy,                                     "    Mar.  15,  1772. 
Anna,                                      '•    Sept.  26,  1774. 
John,                                       "    June    4,  1776. 
Sarah,                                      "    June    3,  1778. 
Amos,                                     "    Mar.    5,  1780. 
Benjamin,                              "    Sept.  9,  1782. 
Betty,                                      "     Sept.  26,  1784. 
Page,                                       "     Mar.  ao,  1787. 

388 


FAMILY   REGISTERS. 


SMITH,  MOSES,*  and  MARY  BOYNTON. 
Married  Jan.  29,  1756. 

Mary,                                  born  July     2,  1757. 
Elizabeth,                              "    April  15,  1759. 
Moses,                                  "    June  22,  1761. 

*Died  August  25,  1761,  xt.  31. 

SMITH,  EMERSON  and  MARY  PAGE. 
Married  Nov.  16,  1768. 

David,                               born  Sept.  28,  1769. 
Samuel,                                "    Mar.  13,  1772. 

SMITH,  EMERSON  and  ABIGAIL  AYRE. 
Married  Jan.  4,  1775. 
Jesse,                                born  Dec.   16,  1775. 
John,                                       "    April  12,  1777. 
Mary,                                     "     Oct.    15,  1779. 
Betty,                                     "     Aug.  20,  1782. 
Abigail,                               "    Dec.   12,  1785. 
Hannah,                               "    April  6,  1787. 
Ralph,                                    "    Aug.  13,  1791. 
Rebekah,                             "    Jan.    28,  1795. 
Joel,                                      "    June   13,  1798. 

SMITH,  JOHN  and  SARAH  MERRILL. 
Margaret,                           born  April  22,  1778. 
Sarah,                                     "     April  25,  1778. 
Benjamin,                             "     April  27,  1780. 
Jerusha,                                "    Oct.     4,  1782. 
Daniel,                                 "    Aug.  13,  1786. 

*Died  Nov.  8,  1807,  aet.  59. 

SMITH,  MANASSEH   and  HANNAH  EMERSON. 
Married  Feb.  17,  1774. 

Hannah,                            born  Oct.   17,  1774. 
Mary,                                      "     Feb.     i,  1776. 
Lydia,                                     "    Dec.  15,  1777. 
Manasseh,                             "    Aug.  16,  1779. 
Joseph  E.,                             "    Mar.    6,  1782. 
Lucy.                                    "    Sept.  22,  1783. 
Samuel  E.,                            "    Mar.  12,  1788. 

SPALDING,  JACOB  and  ESTHER  SHED. 
Married  1782. 
Esther,                                born  Sept.    3,  1782,  d. 
Abigail,                                 "     May   12,  1784. 
Esther,                                   "    July     8,  1786. 
Abraham,                             "    July    17,  1788. 
Rachel,                                 "    Aug.  28,  1789. 
Isaac,                                   «'    Oct.    13,  1791. 
Rebekah,                             "    Jan.    18,  1794. 
Sally,                                    "    April  17,  1797. 
Betsey,                                 "    April  17,  1709. 
Jacob,                                   ««    Mar.    8,  1803. 
Sybel,                                   "    July   14,  1805. 

SMITH,  Rev.  DAVID*  and  HEFZIBAH 
WORCESTER. 

Married  Jan.  i,  1795. 

David  Page,                     born  Sept.  ao,  1795. 
Noah,                                     "     Sept.    7,  1798. 
Hepribah  L.,                        "     Sept.    7,1801. 
Emmons,                               "     Dec.     7,  1802. 
Martha,                                  "    July    14,  1804. 
Mary,                                     "     Sep.    19,  1805. 
Hannah,                                 "     Sept.  10,  1806. 
Lydia,                                     "     Aug.    i,  1808. 

*Died  Aug.  18,  1824,  aet.  54. 

STEARNS,  ISAAC  and  REBECCA  JEWETT. 
Married  Feb.  26,  1767. 

Rebekah,                          born  Dec.  16,  1767. 
Sarah,                                     «'     Nov.    9,  1769. 
Anna,                                     "    Mar.  10,  1772. 
Isaac,                                    "    Feb.  17,  1773. 

STEARNS,  JOSEPH  and  ABIGAIL  WHEAT. 
Married  Mar.  31,  1778. 

foseph,                            born  Mar.  21,  1779. 
Thomas  W.,                         "    Nov.  15,  1782. 
Daniel,                                 "    Mar.  22,  1785. 
Abigail,                               "    Sept.  12,  1789. 

SMITH,  Rev.  ELI*  and  CATHARINE  SHELDON. 
Eli,                                      born  July  16,  1787. 
SMITH,  Rev.  ELI  and  AMA  EMERSON. 
Married  May  7,  1794. 

Daniel  E.,                        born  April    i,  1796. 
Ama,                                    "    Mar.  29,  1798. 
Luther,                                   "    Aug.  11,  1800. 
Catharine  H.,                     "    Aug.  13,  1802. 
Joseph  E.,                            "    Dec.  24,  1804. 
John  R.,                               "    Feb.  12,  1807. 

*Died  May  n,  1847,  aet.  87. 

STEVENS,  ISAAC,  Jun.,    and   ELIZABETH 
JOHNSON. 
Married  Jan.  a,  1771. 
Elizabeth,                        born  Mar.    7,  1773. 
Isaac,                                   "    July      i,  1774. 
Hannah,                                ««    April  19,  1776. 
Sarah  B.,                           "    Dec.     2,  1777. 

FAMILY   REGISTERS. 


389 


STEWART,  JAMES  and  MARY. 
James,  born  Oct.   15,  1742. 


Thomas, 

Peter, 

Jerathmael, 


Sept.  29,  1744. 
June  13,  1746. 
Mar.  14,  1748. 


STILES,  CALEB  and  MARY  TOWNSEND. 

Married  F"eb.  7,  1760. 

Lucy,  born  Dec.  21,  1762. 

Caleb,  "    Feb.  17,  1765. 

George,  "    Jan.    ao,  1767. 

Samuel,  "    July   17,  1769. 

Nathaniel,  "    Dec.  14,  1770. 

Jonathan,  "     May  30,  1773. 

Benjamin,  "     Oct.    12,  1775. 


STILES,  ELI  and  SARAH. 

Sarah,  born  Oct.     6,  1768. 

Eavry  W.,  "    Aug.  27,  1770. 

William,  "     Oct.    12,  1773. 

Rachel,  "    April  u,  1775. 

David,  "    Oct.    27,  1777. 


TAYLOR,  ABRAHAM*  and  LYDIA. 

Olive,  born  Jan.     8,  1732,  d. 

Lydia,  "  Oct.    11,  1733. 

Leonard,  "  Oct.    20,  1735. 

Olive,  "  Aug.  20,  1737. 

Abraham,  "  Aug.  n,  1739. 

Sarah,  "  Oct.    24,  1741. 

Submit,  "  June   13,  1743. 

*Died  June  3,  1743,  set.  36. 


TAYLOR,  EDWARD  and  Mary. 

Daniel,  born  Mar.  24,  1749. 

Joel,  "    Aug.  33,  1752. 

Mary,  "    June   19,  1754. 

Jacob,  "    Aug.  3i,  1756. 

Anna,  "    Aug.  38,  1757. 


TAYLOR,  JONATHAN*  and  KBZIA. 

Kezia,  born  June  39,  1749. 

Azubah,  "    Nov.  12,  1751. 

Esther,  "    Feb.   19,  1754. 

*Died  April  7,  1789,  aet.  69. 


TAYLOR,  JAMES  and  Lois  BUTTERFIELD. 

Married  April  21,  1768. 
James/  born  April  16,  1769. 

Lois,  "    June    4,  1770. 

Molly,  "    Jan.    31,  1772. 


TENNEY,  WILLIAM*  and  ANNA  JEWETT. 


Benjamin, 
Martha, 
William, 
Anna, 


born  Oct.  28,  1746. 
"  April  13, 1749. 
«'  Mar.  17,  1755. 
"  Jan.  17,  1759. 


*Died  March  33,  1783,  aet.  61. 


TENNEY,  BENJAMIN  and  RUTH. 
Ruth,  born  Dec.    2,  1772. 

Benjamin,  "    July     7,  1774. 


TENNKY,   Capt.  WILLIAM*  and    PHEBE 

JEWETT. 

Phebe  Jewett,  born  Oct.  12,  1777. 

Anna,  "    Feb.  21,  ing,  d. 

Caleb  Jewett,  "    May    3,  1780. 

Nancy,  "    Jan.  39,  1782. 

William,  "    Mar.  3o,  1784,  d. 

William,  "    Sept.  12,  1785.   . 

Sally,  "    Oct.    22,  1786. 

Benjamin  G.,  "    Dec.    8,  1788. 

Ralph  E.,  "    Oct.     5,  1790. 

Lucinda,  "    July   16,  1793. 
*Died  June  16,  1806,  aet.  51. 


THURS/TON,  MOSES*  and  HANNAH. 

Hannah,  born  Sept.  10, 1744. 

Moses,  "    July   11,  1746. 

Chloe,  "    July    15,  1748. 

Oilman,  "    July  19,  1750. 

Mary,  "    July  29,  1753- 

Lydia,  "    July    6,  1756. 
*Died  April  6,  1800,  aet.  79. 


WALLINGFORD,  Lt.  DAVID*  and  ELIZABETH 

LEEMAN. 

Married  March  6,  1767. 
Jonathan,  born  Sept.  10,  1770. 

Sarah,  "    July     S*  1TI*- 

Martha,  "    Mar.  36,  1774- 

David,  "    Nov.  26,  1776,  d. 

David,  "    Oct.   13,  1778- 

Ebenezer,  «'    Oct.     5,  1780. 

Benjamin,  "    Jan.    «4.  '782. 

Joel,  "    Jan.    33,  1784. 

Hannah,  "    June  39,  1785. 

Abigail,  "    Jan.     4,  1790. 

*Died  March  12,  1791,  aet.  45. 


WARDWELL,  SOLOMON  and  BETHIAH. 
Amos,  born  July  23,  i/79- 

Bethiah,  "    Feb.    2,  1782. 

Daniel,  "    Jan.    11,  1784. 


39° 


FAMILY   REGISTERS. 


WEBSTER,  ABEL  and  HANNAH. 

Hannah,                            born  April  26,  1750. 
Nathaniel,                            '•    Nov.  23,  1753. 
Abel,                                    "    Dec.     7,  1755. 
Mehitable,                            "    Aug.  31,  1757. 
Moses,    i 
Elias,      |   twins,                "    Aug.  28,  1759. 

Sarah,                                   •«    Mar.    8,  1762. 
Lydia,                                     ««    Mar.  30,  1764. 

WHEAT,  JOSEPH  and  BRIDGET  (POWERS) 
FARLEY. 

Married  Oct.  10,  1783. 
Nathaniel,                          born  April  11,  1784. 

WHEAT,  JOSIAH  and  SARAH  KEYES. 
Married  April  17,  1788. 

Sarah,                                 born  Mar.  14,  1789. 
Ruth,                                      "    April  24,  1791. 
Mary,                                      "    Dec.  29,  1792. 

WHEAT,  THOMAS  and  MARY. 

Mary,                                born  Oct.    29,  1746,  d. 
Abigail,                                  •«    Aug.  15,  1748. 
Thomas,                                 "    July     7,  1750. 
Sarah,                                   "    April  23,  1752. 
Priscilla,                                  "    July      3,  1754. 
Nathaniel,                             "    Jan.    20,  1756. 
Joseph,                                  ««    July    18,  1759. 
Josiah,                                  "    Dec.   18,  1761. 
Lois,                                       "    June  22,  1765. 
Hannah,                               "    Feb.  16,  1767. 

WHEAT  THOMAS  and  SARAH. 

Submit,                               born  July  27,  1769. 
Abigail  Temple,                 "    June  29,  1771. 
Sarah,                                   "    July     8,  1773. 
Mary,                                      "    May    7,  1775. 

WHEAT,   SOLOMON,   Jun.,    and    HANNAH 
CUMINGS. 

Married  Feb.  11,  1794. 

William,                             born  June  13,1794. 
James,                                     "     Oct.   10,  1796. 
Hannah,                                  "     Feb.  13,  1800. 
Elizabeth,                              "    Nov.  19,  1802. 
Mary  Ann,                             "    Aug.  29,  1806. 
Caroline,                                 "     Oct.   27,  1809. 

WHEELER,,  PETER*  and  HANNAH. 

Lucy,                                   born  June    i,  1744. 
Alice,                                      "     Dec.     i,  1745. 
Ebenezer,                             "    July  15,  1748. 
Lebbeus,                              "    Oct.    15,  1750. 
Jemima,                                  "    Aug.  15,  1756. 

*Died  Mar.  28,  1772,  xt.  67. 

WHEAT,    THOMAS,*   Jun.,  and    ABIGAIL. 

Benjamin,                           born  Jan.     i,  1771,  d. 
Benjamin,                              "    Jan.      i,  1772. 
Lucy,                                    "    Jan.     17,  1774. 

*Killed  at  Bunker  Hill  June  17,  1775,  aet.  24. 

WHEELER  PETER  and  MEHITABLE  JEWETT. 
Married  March  19,  1751. 

Mehitable,                        born  Feb.  29,  1752. 
Peter,                                    "    Aug.  31,  1753. 
Samuel,                                  "    July    18,  1755. 
Esther,                                    "    Jan.      7,  1758. 
Hannah,                                 "     Oct.    12,  1760. 
Benjamin,                              "    July    29,  1763. 
Joseph,                                   "    Nov.  15,  1766. 
Jonathan,                               "    July      2,  1768. 
Nathan,                                 "     Mar.   19,  1774. 

WHEAT,  SOLOMON  and  SARAH  BALL. 
Married  August  29,  1771. 

Solomon,                            born  July      7,  1773. 
Josiah  Coolidge,                  "    Jan.    18,  1775. 
Sarah,                                   "    June  11,  1777. 

WHEAT,  SOLOMON  and  DEBORAH  KIMBALL. 

Polly  Kimball,                   born  May  10,  1787. 
Samuel,                                "    Feb.    8,  1790. 

WHEAT,  SOLOMON  and  ELIZABETH  ROGERS- 

Jonathan,                            born  Oct.   18,  1795. 
Timothy,                               "    Mar.  25,  1797. 
Benjamin,                              "    Aug.  10,1798. 
Elizabeth,                            "    July     5.  l8o°- 
Joel,                                      "    Oct.     2,  1802. 
Daniel,                                   "    April  7,  1804. 

WHEELER,  JAMES  and  MARY  BUTTERFIELD. 
Married  Nov.  i,  1750. 

James,                                 born  Jan.    29,1753. 
Reuben,                                 "    Jan.    30,  1755. 
Mary,                                      "    Nov.  28,  1756. 
John,                                       "    July      2,  1758. 
Levincey,                              "    Aug.  20,  1760. 
Abiezer,                                 "     Feb.     2,  1765. 
Zebulon,                                 "    Jan.    20,  1768. 

FAMILY    REGISTERS. 


39 * 


WHEELER,  TIMOTHY  and  MARY  NKVINS. 

Married  Sept.  8,  1773. 

Timothy,  born  Jan.    12,  1774. 

Mary,  "     Oct.      a,  1775. 

Simon,  "    July   23,  1777. 

WHEELER,    LEBBEUS*    and    ELIZABETH' 

CARTER. 

Married  Mar  i,  1773. 

Lucretia,  born  April  3,  1774. 

*Died  July  10,  1778,  xt.   27. 


WHEELEK,  THADDEUS  and    ELIZABETH 

FARMER. 

Married  Oct.  17,  1769. 

Elizabeth,  born  July  22,  1770. 

Thaddeus,  "     Oct.    10,  1773. 

Minot,  "    May    16,  1777. 

Theodore,  "    Jan.     7,  1780. 

Amos,  "    July    12,1783. 

James,  "    Aug.   6,  1785. 

Benjamin,  "    Oct.    16,  1790. 

WHEELER,    EBENEZER*    and    AZUBAH 

TAYLOR. 

Married  July  13,  1780. 

Kezia,  born  Sept.  17,  1783. 

Jonathan  Taylor,  "     Sept.   6,  1787. 

*Died  March  15,  1817,  set.  68. 


WHITING,  JAMES  and  HEPZIBAH.    ' 
Hepzibah,  born  July    8,174:. 

WHITING,  JAMES  and  MARY  DOUGLAS. 

Married  Aug.  2,  1757. 
James,  born  May  17,  1758. 


David, 


"    Mar.  tS,  1760. 


WHITING,  BENJAMIN  and  GRACE. 

Frances  Wentworth,      born  April  19,  1771. 

Martha,  "     Sept.  10,  1772. 

Grace,  "     April  16,  1775. 

Sarah,  "    Nov.  23,  1776. 


WHITING,  Capt.  LEONARD  and  ANN. 


Ann, 

Leonard, 

Mary, 

Grace, 

Abigail, 

Stephen, 


born  Aug.  12,  1763. 
"  Aug.  35,  1765. 
"  Aug.  25,  1767. 
"  Sept.  12,  1769. 
"  Mar.  25,  1772. 
"  Feb.  30,  1774. 


WILLOUGHBY,     JOHN*     and     ANNA 
CHAMBERLAIN. 

Samuel,  born  Feb.  13,  1745. 

*Died  Feb.  2,  1793,  »t.  85. 


WILLOUGHBY,  JONAS  and  HANNAH  BATES. 

Married  July  10,  1760. 


Jonas, 
Oliver, 
David, 
William, 


born  May  19,  1761 . 
"  June  3,  1764. 
"  April  4,  1770. 
"  June  17,  1774. 


WILLOUGHBY,  SAMUEL*  and  ELIZABETH. 


Elizabeth, 
Samuel, 


born  Aug.  27,  1774. 
"    Mar.     i,  1776. 


WILLOUGHBY,   SAMUEL  and  MARY  GOULD. 


Mary, 

Ethan, 

Sasah, 

Beriah, 

Rebekah, 

Anna, 

Luther, 

Calvin, 

Washington, 

John, 

Joseph, 


born  Aug.     3,  1777. 

"  Feb.   26,  1779. 

"  Mar.  21,  1781. 

"  Feb.  20,  1783. 

"  May    n,  1785. 

"  May   18,  1787. 

"  April  14,  1789. 

"  Mar.  1411791. 

"  April  13,  1793. 

"  Dec.  23,  1795. 

"  Nov.  19,  1797. 


*Died  Oct.  26,  1832,  xt.  86. 


WILLOUGHBY,  JONAS,  Jun.,  and    PRUDENCE 
SAUNDERS. 

Married  May  24,  1785. 
Prudence,  born  Oct.   29,1^87.] 


Jonas, 

Hannah, 

Anna, 


"  Mar.  15,  1790. 
"  May  7,  1792. 
"  Mar.  33,  1795. 


WILLOUGHBY,  OLIVER  and  SARAH  BAYLEY. 

Married  Jan.  31,  1787. 
Andrew,  born  Aug.    3,  1787. 


Oliver, 


'7, 1789- 


WILLOUGHBY,  WILLIAM  and  REBECCA. 
ADAMS. 


Married  March  10,  1796. 


Rebecca, 
Samuel, 
William, 


born  Dec.  12,  1797. 
"  Oct.  28,  1798. 
"  April  12,  1801. 


392 


FAMILY   REGISTERS. 


WHIPPLB,  JOSEPH  and  ESTHER  PIERCE. 
Married  Oct.  23,  1792. 
Joseph,                              born  May    6,  1793. 
John,                                     "    Feb.   19,  1795. 
Betsey,                                 "    Nov.    i,  1796. 
Amos,                                  "    Sept.  12,  1798. 
Charles,                                 "    Mar.    :7,  1800. 
Rowena,                               "    Feb.  26,  1803. 
Irena,                                      "    Aug.    I,  1806. 

WORCESTER,  Rev.  FRANCIS*  and  ABIGAIL 
CARLTON. 

Married  April  18,  1720. 

Francis,                              born  Mar.  30,  1721. 
Jesse,                                    "    Sept.    5,  1722. 
Hannah,       .                       "    Oct.     7,  1724. 
Samuel,                                "    May     7,  1731. 
Noah,                                     ««    Oct.     4,  1735. 

*Died  Oct.  14,  1783,  at.  85. 

WOODS,  JONAS  and  LYDIA  HOBART.     ' 
Married  April  26,  1781. 
Jonas,                                born  Feb.  22,  1782. 
Lydia,                                    "    Aug.  31,  1784. 
Sally,                                    "    Feb.     8,  1787. 
Isaac,                                   "    Feb.  :6,  1792. 
David,                                  "    July    21,  1794. 
Asa,                                      "    Aug.  20,  1796. 
Betsey,                                 "    June     8,  1801. 

WORCESTER,  Capt.  NOAH*    and    LYDIA 
TAYLOR. 

Married  Feb.  22,  1757. 

Noah,                                  born  Nov.  25,  1758. 
Jesse,                                      "    April  30,  1761. 
Lydia,                                   "    Nov.    8,  1762. 
Sarah,                                     "    Mar.  24,  1765. 
Leonard,                                "    Jan.      i,  1767. 
Thomas,                                "    Nov.  22,  1768. 
Samuel,                                "    Nov.    i,  1770. 

WORCESTER,  Capt.    NOAH    and  HEPZIBAH 
SHERWIN. 
Married  Sept.  30,  1772. 

Hepzibah,                           born  June  12,  1773. 
William,                                "     Dec.   ji,  1774,  d. 
William,                                "    Nov.  29,  1775. 
Abigail,                                 "    June   29,  1777. 
David,                                    "    April  30,  1779,  d. 
Ebenezer,                            "    April  30,  1781. 
Hannah,                                 "    Mar.  17,  1783. 
David,                                    "    Mar.  25,  1785. 
James,                                   "    Feb.  23,  1788. 

*Died  Aug.  13,  1817,  aet.  81. 

WOOD,  Ensign   WILLIAM*  and    SUSANNAH 
WRIGHT. 
Married  Aug.  23,  1778. 
Susannah,                        born  Dec.  28,  1779. 
William,                                "     Sept.  24,  1781. 
Kezia,                                  "    Feb.  16,  1783. 
Ebenezer,                             "    Sept.  2Z,  1784. 
Henry,                                    "    June     9,  1786. 
Abigail,                               "    Oct.     4,  1787. 
Sally,                                    "    April  u,  1789. 
Betsey,                                 "    Oct.      i,  1790. 
Hannah,                               "    Jan.    19,  1792. 
Polly,                                    "    Oct.    12,  1793. 
Mark,                                   "    Jan.    22,  1795,  d. 
Grace,                                   "    Oct.    21,  1796. 
Mark,                                     "     Feb.  11,  1799. 
Harriet,                                 "    Oct.     12,  1805. 
*Died  1826,  aet.  73. 

WORCESTER,  JESSE*  and  SARAH  PARKER. 
Married  June,  1782. 

Jesse,                                  born  Nov.  30,  1782. 
Joseph  Emerson,                 "    Aug.  24,  1784. 
Sarah,                                     "    Mar.  12,  1786. 
Lydia,                                     "     Feb.  22,  1789. 
Abigail,                               "    Dec.  15,  1790. 
Hannah,                                 "    June  22,  1792. 
Leonard,                              "    Mar.  22,  1794. 
Deborah,                                "    May  22,  1796. 
Martha,                                  "    Oct.   24,  1797. 
Taylor  Oilman,                      "     April  6,  1709- 
John  Newton,                        "    Feb.    7,  1801. 
Henry  Aiken,                      "    Sept.  25,  1802. 
Samuel  Thomas,                  "    Aug.  30,  1804. 
Frederick  Augustus,          "    Jan.    28,  1807. 
David,                                    "     April  13,  1808. 
*Died  Jan.   20,  1834,  aet.  72. 

WORCESTER,  Dea.    FRANCIS*  and   HANNAH 
BOYNTON. 
Married  Oct.  28,  1741. 
Abigail,                             born  Nov.    5,  >742- 
Francis,                                 "    June   16,  1744,  d. 
Jemima,                                "    Jan.    22,  1746. 
Hannah,                                 "    Jan.     3,  1748,  d. 
Sarah,                                     "    June   18,  1749. 
Beulah,                                "    Oct.    29,  1750. 
Mary,                                    "    Dec.  13,  1751. 
Lydia,                                     "    April  26,  1753. 
John,                                     "    Dec.  31,  1755. 
Hannah,                               "    Jan.     3,  1757. 
Francis,                                 "    Oct.    27,  1758. 
Bathsheba,                           "    April  21,  1763. 
*Died  Oct.  19,  iSoo,  aet.  79. 

FAMILY    REGISTERS. 


393 


WORCESTER,  SAMUEL    and   Lois   BOYNTON. 
Married  Nov.  5,  1778. 


WRIGHT,  URIAH  and  EUNICE  JEWETT. 
Married  June  15,  1780. 


Lois, 

born  Dec.  11,  1779. 

Uriah, 

born  June   3,1781. 

Mary, 

"     Sept.  18,  1781. 

Eunice, 

"    Mar.  19,  1783. 

Samuel, 

Joshua, 

"    Mar.    9,  1785,  d. 

James  Jewett, 

"     Mar.  25,  1787. 

WRIGHT, 

Capt.  JOSHI-A*  and  ABIGAIL. 

Margaret, 

"  J«iy    s.  1789- 

Timothy, 

"     April  13,  1791. 

Joshua, 

horn  Jan.      9,  1741. 

Joshua, 

"    April  3i,  1793. 

Esther, 

"    Nov.    6,  1742. 

Jean, 

"    May  26,1795. 

Abigail, 

"     Nov.  10,  1744. 

Abijah, 
Lemtiel, 

"     Aug.  15,  1746. 
"     Oct.      2,  1748,  d. 

WRIGHT,  SAMUEL  and  MOLLY. 

Ruth, 

"     Feb.    13,  1751. 

Samuel, 

born  Sept.  24,  1778. 

Lemuel, 

"     Dec.   30,  1752. 

Alice, 

"     Mar.     5,  1781. 

Uriah, 

"     Dec.     8,  1754. 

Stephen, 

"     Sept.  19,  1783. 

Timothy, 

"     Sept.    8,  1756. 

Page, 

"    April  30,  1785. 

Sibbel, 

"     Feb.    13,  1759. 

Jane, 

"    Mar.  24,  1788. 

Susannah, 

"    Nov.  25,  1761. 

Betsey, 

"     Sept.  19,  1789. 

Sarah, 

"     May     6,  1763. 

Luther, 

"    Jan.      7,  1792. 

*Died  Aug.  5,  1776,  xt.  60. 

Calvin, 

"    Oct.    1  8,  1794. 

WRIGHT,  BENJAMIN  and  MARY. 

WRIGHT,  ELISHA 

and  ANNA  SAUNDERS. 

Benjamin, 

born  Mar.  28,  1752. 

Married 

Feb.  12,  1784. 

Abel, 

"     Sept.    3,  1754. 

Anna, 

born  Feb.  26,  1785. 

Ebenezer  W 

.,                       "     Sept.    8,  1756. 

Hannah, 

"    May    5,  1787. 

Mary, 

"    Feb.   n,  1760. 

Rachel, 

"    May  20,  1791. 

Noah, 

"     Dec.   13,  1763. 

Elijah  B., 

"    Mar.     i,  1794. 

Joseph,    ) 
Mary,      i  tw 

ins,                   "     Feb.     9,  1766. 

Mary, 
Mary, 

"    July    13,  1796,  d- 
"    Feb.  14,  1799. 

Hannah, 

"     Sept.  19,  1769. 

Klisha  Winckol, 

"    Jan.    22,  1802. 

Sibbel, 

"    May     9,  1772. 

William  W., 

"    Oct.          1805. 

Leonard  H., 

"    Dec.  31,  1807. 

WRIGHT, 

BENJAMIN,  Jun.,  and  ESTHKK 

T*  *  VT  *-»!» 

Ralph  S., 

"    Aug.  30,  1810. 

Married  Dec.  15,  1774. 


Ke/.ia  Taylor, 

Benjamin    Winckol, 

Esther, 

Jonathan, 

Salome, 

Jonathan  Taylor, 

Salome, 

Mary, 

Mary, 


born  Feb.    20,  1776. 

"  J"'y    M-  1778. 

"  April  15,  1781. 

"  July     24,  1783,  d. 

"  Nov.  28,  1784,  d. 

"  Aug.  19,  1787. 

"  Mar.  28,  1790. 

"  Aug.  31,  1792,  d. 

"  April  29,  1794. 


YOUNGMAN,  JABEZ  and  SUSANNAH  POWERS. 
Married  March  24,  1785. 


Jabez, 

Noah, 

David, 

Susannah, 

Hannah, 


horn  June  26,  i7Sf>. 
"  Sept.  14,  1788. 
"  Dec.  19,  1790. 
"  Mar.  18,  1793. 
"  April  4,  1795. 


WRIGHT,  LEMUEL  and  MAHY  JOHNSON. 
Married  March  13,  1781. 


YOUNGMAN,  STEPHEN  and  ABIGAIL  BROWN. 

Married  June  16,  1786. 

Ebenezer,  born  April    4,  1787. 

William,  «•     Oct.    20,  1788. 


Lemuel, 

Joshua, 

Noah, 

Miles  Johnson, 

Benjamin, 


born  Mar.  18,  1782. 
"  Feb.  29,  1784. 
"  Jan.  13,  1787. 
"  Mar.  13,  1790. 
"  May  14,  1792. 


ERRATA    AND    CORRKCTIONS. 

The  reader  will  please  note  and  correct  the  following  errors  : 
Page  134,  line  11,  for  "He"  read  Hon.  "Benjamin  Pool." 
151,  line  3,  for  "  Capt.  Moor"  read  "Capt.  Moors  " 
210,  bottom  line,  for  "  1773  "  read  "  1778." 

241,  line  13  from  bottom,  for  "May  25,  1870"  read  "Aug.  20,  1874. 

242,  line  5  from  top,  for  "  1858"  read  "  1758." 

201,  line  18,  add  "  George  Moore,  representative,  1871). " 
•'     314,  line  4,  for  "November  28"  read  "November  25." 
354,  llth  line  from  bottom,  for  "Baker"  read  "Parker." 

360,  10th  line  from  bottom,  for  '•  Abert "  mid  ••  Albert." 

361,  18th  line  from  top,  for  "Charles"  read  "George." 

301,  20th  line  from  bottom,  for  "  Henry  L."  read  "  Henry  N." 


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